One Missed Strike, Part III
by Davin Sunrider
Summary: (ROTJ AU) The Rebellion prepares to launch a desperate last offensive against Emperor Skywalker's forces. But a mutiny is brewing within the Empire, and Darth Vader has an objective of his own, a secret he's kept for over twenty years...
1. Return of the Jedi

**One Missed Strike  
Part III**

**One**  
(Return of the Jedi)

High above the small, peaceful planet of Naboo, a gigantic angled shape seemed to blot out the stars as it slowly settled into a high orbit.

An aide in the Royal Palace, hurrying along to deliver a morning report to the Queen, happened to look out the window and saw it first. As soon as she saw the massive angular vessel perched high above the pink sunrise clouds, she shrieked, dropped the datapads she was carrying and collapsed in a dead faint.

From the windows of their tower, the city's air traffic controllers saw the first few people on the city streets stop and glance up. More followed suit, some being alerted by those who saw the ship, others seeing the others' strange behavior and glancing in curiosity. Within minutes, every person, speeder, and animal in the streets of Theed had stopped to stare up into the sky.

The _Executor_, personal Star Destroyer of Sith Master Darth Vader, was here.

For the millions of inhabitants in Theed, the unexpected appearance of the dark, angular shape transcending from the endless black of space into the pink, hazy hues of sunrise pierced them with an immediate wave of icy dread. The _Executor_, at nineteen kilometers long, was larger than most of the cities on Naboo, both in mass and population, and manned enough firepower to subjugate entire planets singlehandedly; billions upon billions of sentients could attest to that. But more than a ship, the _Executor _was the symbol of Lord Vader's power, and his absolute, unquestionable authority as ruler of the galaxy.

The alarms came next, blaring out in crystal clarity that Emperor Skywalker's Star Destroyer had arrived, and that it was to take immediate precedence over all other ships. More traffic controllers collapsed in their chairs; only one managed to find the courage to call their superiors to alert them of the Star Destroyer's arrival.

The ship came quickly, driven by a single-minded purpose, one that many guessed was the immediate subjugation or destruction of their planet. It was widely known that Naboo sided with the Rebellion, and while the Emperor had left Naboo alone during his twenty-four year conquest of the galaxy, the population also knew that the Sith Master was neither forgiving nor merciful to traitors. Lord Vader's conquest of Alderaan four years earlier remained as a terrible example of the Emperor's wrath for those that defied the Empire.

For another few seconds the city stayed still, and then one person ran. And in a single fleeing mass, the city exploded into chaos.

A few ships immediately fled the surface. Most were the personal vessels of the wealthy, stuffed with whatever valuables they could gather in the few minutes it took to get the ship ready for launch. Cargo ships were next, overloaded with frantic citizens who had thrown every valuable item they owned into the hands of opportunistic men for a chance to escape Lord Vader's wrath. They vanished up into the clouds, lost to the sight of the planet-bound citizens who knew that the ships would stand not chance against the firepower of the _Executor_.

On the planet, the citizens surged through the streets, the houses, the shops and bridges, cascading like a turbulent sea towards whatever location they believed would offer the most protection from the assured deadly rain of turbolaser fire ready to fall upon them in judgment at any time.

Far above the streets, the workers in the traffic control towers followed the trails of the fleeing vessels, expecting at any moment for the ships and signals to be lost to the first stages of the Sith Master's wrath. When the ships entered firing range, the workers trembled and offered a prayer to the Goddess of Safety, though more prayed to Mother Vima to guide their souls to the underworld.

But the ships passed unharmed, even those ships that passed within two kilometers of the ship's weapon-covered hull. Five minutes passed in silence, then ten, and fifteen. No shots were fired, their communication lines remained open, and no demands were made; the Emperor's vessel simply remained perched in its quiet orbit.

Its only sign of activity was to launch a shuttle and two dropships, which remained equally silent on the trip to the planet below. No one dared to make an inquiry of the landing craft, but the air traffic controllers did watch where they went.

The shuttle and dropships landed in a wide, grassy field near Padmé Amidala Naberrie's mausoleum in the planetary capital of Theed. The controllers were puzzled at this, but kept silent again, as no one dared to ask the Imperials what they were doing there.

* * *

Thousands of light-years away, on the deserted world of Kuar, the only four sentient beings on the entire planet stood in the center of a crumbling coliseum within one of the many slowly decaying cities dotting the old world's surface.

Kuar had once been the homeworld of a thriving industrial civilization, but at some forgotten point in the distant past, the world had been conquered by the Mandalorians, who ruled the planet only long enough to strip it of most of its resources before moving on to the next target in their endless nomadic conquests. The planet had been abandoned ever since, drifting along in a slow orbit of its small yellow sun. It was far from any trade centers, and was in fact extremely out of the way, the main reason the people standing in the remains of the ancient coliseum had chosen it.

The cloudy gray sky overhead promised rain later in the day, but for now it was quiet. Not even wind moved within the decaying city, wrought in stone and rusting iron. The coliseum around them, once the site of the Mandalorians' bloodthirsty gladiatorial games, was being used as a training ground once again for the first time in centuries.

Grand Master Yoda, the last known Jedi Master in the galaxy, stood leaning on his walking stick beside Luke Skywalker as Mara Jade and Leia Organa Skywalker sparred with their lightsabers.

Leia jumped up, planted one foot on the side of a fallen stone pillar, and pushed off, somersaulting over Mara's head. As she landed, she swung her newly completed lightsaber at the other woman, the shining blue blade humming as it moved through its fast arc.

Mara spun on one foot and caught the slash on her own magenta blade, continuing the movement with a snap kick at Leia's knee. Leia leaped over the kick, angling her lightsaber to catch Mara's strike as she landed. Mara advanced, her lightsaber leaping through a series of wide, looping slashes.

Leia moved her lightsaber through a quick defensive pattern, but remained stationary, holding her ground as she tried to force Mara back with the occasional returning strike.

Finally, Mara paused and deactivated her lightsaber, running her fingers through her long red-gold hair as she pushed it back away from her face. "Good," she said as she reached back to the leather thong holding most of her hair at her neck. "But you're not moving your feet enough," she went on, pulling back the strands that had escaped the tie. "Footwork is just as essential to lightsaber combat as knowing how to angle your blade. You have to keep moving, changing your position so that your opponent is constantly forced to do the same."

Leia nodded, closing down her own lightsaber. "Okay," she said, pulling at the collar of her sleeveless white workout shirt. "Show me what you mean."

Mara grinned over at Luke. "Come on, farm-boy," she said, gesturing for him to join her. "Show your sister how it's done."

Leia stepped away as Luke took her place, igniting the emerald blade of his own lightsaber. "Watch what I do," he said to Leia, stretching his shoulders as he shifted his feet on the dusty ground.

Mara ignited her lightsaber again and immediately leaped at Luke, her lightsaber moving through a blisteringly fast offensive pattern. Luke spun to catch the first strike of the pattern on his shining green blade and, despite Mara's attack, advanced, forcing her to go on the defensive instead.

Luke shifted his feet for greatest stability with each of his strikes, in constant motion as he forced Mara back along a line leading directly for the fallen pillar. She moved her blade defensively, but even as Luke tensed his legs to do the same, she hurled herself into a back-flip, landing with both feet solidly on the pillar. She lashed down, her lightsaber in a one-handed grip as she went on the offensive again from her higher position.

"Always try to get… above your… opponent… if you can," Mara panted between strikes, spinning over Luke's slow slash at one of her feet. "Come on, Skywalker," she grinned challengingly. "You can do better than that. Get up here."

Luke obliged, throwing his body into a twisting flip that ended with his feet on the narrow pillar also, higher up than Mara. She slashed at him immediately, driving Luke backwards a step. Luke retreated for four steps, all the while moving higher up the angled pillar toward where the broken end balanced on the remains of its base.

Suddenly he stopped and leaned forward, locking blades with Mara. Leia watched as his muscles bulged under the short sleeves of his dark brown workout shirt, and he planted his feet far apart, using the greater height afforded him by the angle of the fallen pillar to force Mara back and down.

But, Mara shifted her own feet, holding her lightsaber above her head as her own muscles flexed with the exertion of keeping Luke back. Suddenly, like a striking serpent, she twisted her body and one foot leaped out in a snap kick to knock Luke's forward leg out from under him.

Luke turned his tumble into a flip, leaping again immediately after both feet touched the ground, and went into another back-flip that put three meters between him and Mara. He shifted his lightsaber into a guard position, waiting as Mara leaped off the pillar, landed in a one-handed handspring, and pushed off to go into a front-flip that ended with her lightsaber crashing against Luke's in a powerful momentum-fueled strike.

Luke laughed as he crossed blades with Mara twice. "Show-off," he said, grinning.

"You're just jealous because I'm in better shape," Mara replied, grinning herself.

"Think so, do you?" Luke countered, raising a teasing eyebrow.

With that, he launched himself into a spinning attack pattern that combined lightsaber slashes with kicks from both legs, moving almost too fast to follow with the naked eye. Leia watched as Mara was forced to give ground again and again, though she still managed to counter each slash and dodge each kick. Finally, her eyes narrowed in concentration, Mara paused for a moment and whipped her foot around in a spin kick.

Luke grunted as the kick connected solidly with his side, and he stumbled back, hand raised to indicate he wanted a pause. He grimaced as he rubbed his side, and Mara grinned teasingly.

"_That_ was showing off," she said, gesturing at him with her lightsaber. "That's what you get for trying to look good instead of concentrating on what you're doing."

"How did you do that?" Luke said, shutting off his lightsaber.

"You fight just like your father," Mara replied, deactivating her own. "He's pretty fond of those flashy attacks, himself. I had to learn how to counter them if I ever wanted to hold my own when I sparred with him."

"Oh, yeah?" Luke said as he stretched his arm. "You ever win?"

Mara scoffed amusedly. "No. He's been practicing longer than I've been alive. He had a counter for every attack I was able to think of." Mara's expression went serious. "If you ever fight Vader again, Luke, you're going to have to do better than that. If _I_ could do it, he'll do it for sure, and likely do some damage, besides."

Luke nodded, looking down at his right hand. He wore a wristband to hide the line where the synthetic flesh stopped and his natural arm began, but his artificial right hand was a constant reminder of how his first duel with Darth Vader had ended.

Leia frowned to herself; both she and her brother had scars left by their father, though some were more obvious than others. How could he ever…

She stopped; this would take her into the same dark thoughts she always had when she thought about her true father. Although she was glad she now knew Luke was her brother, the only blood relative she had ever known, it always troubled her to know she was the daughter of a man she had hated for most of her life. It had been a little more than a year since she had found out, but it still seemed unbelievable sometimes.

Yoda shuffled forward a few steps, looking up at his three students. "Much have you learned," he said, an approving look on his lined face. "Much progress have you made. Soon, Jedi will you be."

Yoda grunted quietly as he shifted position, and Leia noted how frail he looked; Master Yoda was not well, and it had been growing increasingly obvious over the past few months.

"No more training do you require," Yoda said, resting both hands on his walking stick. "Soon, it will be time to leave this world."

Luke approached, concern on his face. "Master, are you all right?" he asked. He'd noticed, too.

Yoda made a dismissive wave with one hand. "Old, I am," he said tiredly. "Old and tired." He chuckled shortly, gesturing at Luke with his walking stick. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good _you_ will not."

Luke smiled slightly at this, but the sadness did not leave his eyes. "Let's go inside," he said to the others. "It's starting to get cold out here."

* * *

Inside the small dwelling the four of them had converted out of one wing of the ancient gladiator barracks, Luke helped Master Yoda into the ancient Jedi Master's bed. He feared that Yoda was much more sick than he was letting on.

Master Yoda looked over at him as if he had sensed the young man's thoughts. "Not long do I have," he confirmed. "Soon will I be gone."

Luke sighed sadly. Mara, standing at his side, put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Leia's expression was similarly sad where she sat at the foot of the bed.

"Yes, rest," Yoda said. "Earned it, I have." He looked up at the three young people around him and smiled slightly. "No death there is," he said. "Only the Force."

Luke felt like his heart was twisting; Yoda meant he was dying _now_, not tomorrow or in a few weeks. They would lose him today, right here.

Yoda's eyes fell half-closed, as if he was having trouble keeping himself awake. He took a deep breath, looking weakly up at the three of them. "When gone am I," he said weakly, "the last of the Jedi will you be." His gnarled hand squeezed Luke's, at his side. "Pass on what you have learned."

The Jedi Master's breathing became labored, and there was great exertion behind his words, as if he had to struggle to speak now. "Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. Beware of anger, fear, and aggression. The Dark Side are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight." He met Luke's eyes in warning. "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Luke nodded, swallowing past the painful lump in his throat. How could Yoda be leaving them? He wasn't ready yet. He had much he still wanted to share with the old Master, much he wanted him to see. Luke had always thought that he would have Yoda for many more years, that he would be able to help him rebuild the Jedi Order, but those hopes ended today. Today, he would lose another mentor.

Now Luke understood just why his father was so desperate to find a way around death; there was no greater pain than to lose a loved one.

Luke suddenly clutched his head as he felt a painfully strong building-up of power. It seemed as if a bright white light flashed behind his eyes, blinding him. As if from very far away, he heard Mara's voice asking him what was wrong.

_Come to me, _Luke heard his father's voice say in his mind. Along with it, he saw a peaceful green world, and then an elegant white building, a mausoleum. Finally, the image in his mind shifted to the top of the tomb, showing the name there, his mother's.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the image vanished, leaving Luke gasping for breath. He looked up to see Leia looking back at him, and from her expression, he could tell she had seen the same thing.

Yoda nodded slowly. "Go to him," he said, and coughed, his breath rattling within his chest. "Put an end to Vader, you must."

"Can he be…" Luke paused. "Can he be turned back?"

"Anakin's choice, that is," Yoda said quietly. "But put an end to the Sith, you must. Vader and his apprentice must be confronted." The ancient Jedi Master looked over at Leia, including her in his statement. "Bring balance to the Force, you must. Do this, _you_ can. Succeed, you will, where your father failed."

Finally, Yoda lay back against the pillows and. He looked up at the three of them, his voice so weak it was barely audible. "Proud of you. I am…"

And then his body flickered and faded out of being. The empty blanket slowly collapsed against the bed, and Yoda was gone.

* * *

Outside the mausoleum on Naboo, Trooper Tyraj Kolos, designation TK-421, stood at attention in a line beside two dozen of his fellow stormtroopers, his white armor gleaming in the sunlight. Beside their troop transport sat the Emperor's personal shuttle, from which he had yet to emerge. TK-421 and the other troopers had been waiting in formation for nearly an hour, but no complaints were heard. Lord Vader could make them wait here for the rest of the day if he wished, and none of the men in this detachment of the Imperial 501st would complain. Vader's Fist lived only to serve their Emperor.

Finally, the silent gray shuttle whirred with machinery as the ramp below the cockpit slowly lowered. The men of the 501st stiffened even further, every one of them still as a statue.

Inside his helmet, Tyraj shifted his eyes to watch the Emperor emerge, though this was undetectable from outside. First came six of the red-cloaked Royal Guards, their faces concealed by smooth bullet-shaped helmets, holding meter-long pikes in their hands. If the Emperor had brought his guards, Tyraj knew, it must mean that he intended to stay here for quite some time; Lord Vader usually didn't bother bringing the fiercely loyal red-armored elite troopers along.

Next, the hem of a long black cloak and a pair of polished black boots became visible at the top of the ramp, and Tyraj watched as the dark figure slowly descended the ramp, mostly hidden by the overhanging cockpit of the _Lambda-_class shuttle.

Sith Master Darth Vader strode into view, his long black cloak billowing out behind him as he marched across the grassy field. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a black Imperial uniform devoid of insignia but for a bit of silver trim. His dark blond hair was cut military-short, and Tyraj noted that Emperor Skywalker had grown a beard since he had seen him last, kept precisely trimmed. Both hair and beard were visibly sprinkled with gray, much of it concentrated at his temples and on his chin.

Lord Vader looked over the troopers, his glowing blue mechanical eye gleaming beneath its lens, which was bolted directly to the Sith Master's skull like an eyepatch. He approached rapidly, and stopped in front of Tyraj, meeting his eyes through the trooper's helmet lenses.

"No one is to be allowed inside," he said, and immediately turned to march up the steps of the mausoleum.

"You heard the Emperor," one of the Royal Guards said, gesturing with his pike.

The stormtroopers quickly took up position around the small white building, surrounding it, while the Royal Guards went inside. Tyraj planted himself in the center of the bottom step of the white stone stairway, his blaster rifle held at an angle across his chest.

He had not the slightest clue why the Emperor was here or what his business was inside, but it was not his place to ask questions.

* * *

The _Millennium Falcon_'s engines rumbled as its pilot slowly set the battered freighter down in the center of the abandoned coliseum on Kuar.

Luke, Leia, and Mara were waiting at the edge of the stone ring, their bags packed with what few possessions they'd kept with them here during the last phase of their training.

As the ramp on the familiar starship lowered, Leia moved forward to greet the man waiting at the end. Han Solo grinned broadly as he saw her coming. Leia smiled back as they embraced in greeting, but her expression slowly faded into one of sadness.

"Hey, what is it?" Han asked, leaving one arm around her shoulders.

"Master Yoda passed away," Leia replied, looking back off at the ruined buildings.

Han squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. He turned his head to look over at Luke, gesturing with his other hand back inside his ship. "There's something big brewing with the Alliance; they would have told you sooner, but I told 'em I wasn't going to go get you unless you asked me to; the Imps have really been cracking down on us lately, and Intelligence is pretty sure all the HoloNet relays are being watched closer than a mother hawk-bat watches her eggs."

"Well, it had to be like that," Mara replied. "Vader would never pass up a chance to kill me and Yoda and capture these two. If he had even the slightest clue where we were, he would have sent an entire fleet of Star Destroyers to get us."

"At least," Han said with a wry grin. "I hope you guys learned a lot," he went on, "because Alliance Command has been bugging me to go find you for the last month or so. They've finally got all their forces built up, and they're saying it's time to take Vader on."

As they walked inside and Luke stowed the bags in a storage compartment, Han shouted up the passageway to the cockpit that they were ready to go, Chewbacca bellowed back, and with a powerful rumble of its engines, the_ Falcon _lifted free of the ground and started up on its way out of the atmosphere.

Han gestured to Winter as the elegant young woman stood from the acceleration couch behind the gameboard table in the main hold. "She knows more about what's going on than I do," he said. "She'll tell you all about it." With that, he headed up to the cockpit.

Luke settled into the chair next to the hold's computer console as the three women sat down in the acceleration couch. Almost as soon as they were all seated, Han and Chewie punched the sublight engines and roared out of the atmosphere at near-top speed, pushing them all back in their seats until the inertial dampeners caught up with the starship's velocity.

"There will be more in the briefing," Winter said as she looked around at the other three, "but I'll tell you now that it seems Vader has made a tactical blunder; the _Executor_ is alone at Naboo, without any support ships, and there are no nearby bases. If we gather the entire fleet and strike, we can take him out in one battle."

"Vader wants us to come to Naboo," Leia said, glancing over at Luke. "He told us to come to him through the Force. It has something to do with our mother, but I'm not sure what."

Luke sighed; he'd kept what Vader had said to him at the end of their duel at Cloud City to himself since then, but now it was plainly time to tell the others. Apparently, Vader's preparations were finally complete, and he wanted them to be there.

"I know why," Luke said, looking over at his sister and the others. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right way to word what he had to say, but finally decided to just speak plainly. "Vader thinks he can bring our mother back to life with the Force, and he wants us to help him do it."

"_What?_" Leia and Mara exclaimed simultaneously. Leia glanced at Mara, but the other woman spoke first. "He never said anything about that to me!"

"I don't think he's told anyone," Luke said. "He told me at the end of our duel on Bespin, trying to get me to join him. He said he'd figured out the process, but couldn't do it by himself. He wanted me to help him."

"Is that even possible?" Leia said incredulously. "Mother has been dead for twenty-three years."

"She's been in suspended animation the entire time, though," Mara said, looking across the table at her. "Biologically, she's only been dead for a few minutes, maybe an hour." She shrugged. "I've seen Vader do stranger things with the Force, including sending a sun into supernova by himself; if he thinks he can do it, he probably can."

"He could definitely do it with both of us helping him," Luke said to Leia.

"You aren't seriously considering helping him?" Leia said disbelievingly. "It's obviously a trap, Luke. He'd have his stormtroopers swarm us right away!"

"No, I think he genuinely does want to bring Mother back," Luke replied. "He'll probably try to get us to join him again, but I don't think he'd hurt us if we agreed to help him. When he was telling me about what he wanted to do, I…" He trailed off, searching for the right words. "I could sense how much pain he was in. He never accepted Mother's death, Leia; I think he's been planning this the entire time, ever since she died."

Leia's expression could not have been more astonished even if he suddenly sprouted another head; he could sense her disbelief and anger through the Force very strongly.

"You're really thinking about this!" Leia said, staring at him. "I… I can't believe it! Why would you even consider going along with this? It's… it's unnatural!"

Luke was about to reply, but Mara interrupted. "Whether you help Vader bring back Padmé or not, you can't deny the advantage this gives us. Yes, Vader has a ship full of troops with him, but he's alone on the planet. The three of us can take him, I'm sure of it. If the rest of the Rebellion's fleet keeps the _Executor_ busy, we can go in, either capture or kill Vader, and force them to surrender. We can end the war _right now_."

"The plans have been made," Winter said quietly, looking right at Luke. "We hope you help us with this, but we are prepared to complete the mission without you. If you had been any later in coming back, we would have went ahead anyway. This opportunity cannot be passed up."

"I know," Luke said, absently running his thumb over the cool metal grip of his lightsaber. "I'll help you. It's just… tempting, is all," he said, looking down at his boots. "I've never known my mother, so to have that chance…"

Leia's expression softened, and she sighed quietly. "I know what you mean," she said. "I suppose it's harder for you, since you've known about her almost your whole life. I didn't even know she was my mother until Vader told me."

The four of them were quiet for a few moments after this, each deep in thought, but they looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Han strode into the hold, a big grin on his face. "I have some great news," he said, oblivious to the somber mood.

"What?" Mara asked, looking over at him.

Han grin got even wider. "Jabba's dead!"

"What?" Luke exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat. "When?"

"About two weeks ago," Han replied, leaning on the back of the couch. "Somebody managed to hide a thermal detonator in his food!" Han imitated the sound of an explosion as he spread his fingers.

"Do they know who did it?" Luke asked.

Han shrugged. "They're not sure. The local government is just glad he's gone, so they haven't been looking too much into it. I heard all his flunkies had a wild party after it happened, but then the palace sealed up tight and nobody's heard anything out of it since."

Mara let out a low whistle of amazement. "Jabba had a big organization," she said. "Now that he's dead, either another Hutt is going to move in and take over his territory, or it's all just going to splinter among his lieutenants. There's going to be a major mob war now, I'll bet."

"Nope!" Han said, still grinning. "Get this: when Vader found out, he declared that all of Jabba's property belonged to the Empire and sent two warships to take over the planet. Tatooine completely belongs to the Empire now. And," Han added, somehow managing to make his smile even more delighted, "Jabba's bounty on me is canceled! Nobody's going to pay it, so nobody's after me anymore!"

"Except the Hunters still interested in your _Imperial_ bounty," Mara replied dryly. "That one's probably higher than Jabba's ever was. It's amazing Boba Fett hasn't caught you again by now."

Han's triumphant expression collapsed almost comically, and Luke had to stifle a laugh despite himself.

"The Hutts aren't just going to let Vader confiscate Jabba's holdings," Leia said. "He owned most of Tatooine and a great deal more, and even the Hutts will fight to try and keep that."

"Can you think of anybody who could handle it better?" Han said. "Hutts like staying alive even more than they like money; none of them are crazy enough to try and take on the Empire." He smirked at Leia as he said the last statement, and she smiled wryly.

"Vader personally went to Tatooine to announce the takeover," Han continued. "Y'know, seeing the looks on the crowd's faces when Vader announced that slavery was now illegal on Tatooine and everyone was free was almost enough to make you like the guy." He frowned. "Almost."

Leia's expression was puzzled. "Why would he bother doing something like that? That doesn't sound like him."

"Anakin grew up on Tatooine," Luke said. "He was a slave himself once."

Mara's brows lifted in surprise. "I never knew that," she said. "He never told me anything about his early life, so I just assumed he grew up in the Temple like all the other Jedi."

"Obi-Wan told me that Anakin and his mother were slaves, sent to Tatooine when they were owned by Gardulla the Hutt," Luke said. "My mother's starship was damaged while she was escaping from the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo, so they stopped at Tatooine for repairs. Obi-Wan's teacher, a Jedi Master named Qui-Gon Jinn, encountered Anakin while they were there, and he brought him along to be trained by the Jedi when they left. That's how my mother and Obi-Wan met Anakin, actually."

Luke paused for a moment, smiling slightly to himself in surprise as he thought about what had happened. "Obi-Wan once said to me that Anakin told him he always meant to go back to Tatooine and free the rest of the slaves. I guess he finally made good on his promise."

Han gave him a puzzled look. "What's with the sympathy for your dad, kid? I thought you hated him."

Luke looked over at his friend as he leaned back in his chair. "I did, once. But ever since I fought him at Bespin, I've been thinking about what he said to me, trying to figure out what my father's real motives are for why he does the things he does."

"He's evil and power-hungry," Leia said bluntly. "He does what he does so that he can get more power for himself."

"I'm not so sure," said Luke. "From what Obi-Wan and Yoda told me about him, Anakin's fall to the Dark Side all started when he became so afraid of losing our mother that he became willing to do anything to save her life. Palpatine preyed on this, and tempted him to the Dark Side. When my mother died, and Anakin killed Palpatine, he saw no course left to him but to take control of the Empire and try to keep the galaxy stable after so much upheaval." Luke glanced around at the others. "I don't see Anakin as a wholly evil man; he is trying to do the right thing, but right now he is using entirely the wrong methods."

"Stop calling him Anakin!" Leia shouted as she abruptly stood from her seat, surprising Luke with her vehemence. She took a step toward him, radiating fury through the Force. "Anakin Skywalker is dead, Luke. You've said so yourself. All that's left is Darth Vader, and he is a _monster_. You weren't there when he tortured me, and you weren't there when he did the same to Han and then had him frozen in carbonite. Vader might have been our father once, but all that is left is a heartless creature of the Dark Side who doesn't care anything about anybody else. Do you really think our mother would want to come back to a man like that?"

Luke could think of nothing to say; he'd had no idea Leia was this angry about this. He knew she had been having a hard time accepting it, but obviously none of her resentment toward Vader had gone away, even after she learned the truth.

He wisely decided not to argue with his sister; she was clearly in no mood to hear Luke's opinions about their father right now.

"All right," Luke said as calmly as he was able. "We won't talk about it right now."

Leia visibly attempted to calm herself, as well. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, Luke," she said quietly. "But I just can't see Vader the same way you do. He has done too much to me and the people I love for me to see him as anything but my enemy."

Luke nodded once. "I understand." And he did; it had taken Luke a long time to get past his hatred of his father, and he had known for far longer than Leia had.

More to change the subject than anything else, he turned to Han. "How much longer is it until we meet up with the fleet?" he asked.

"Most of the day," Han said. "We're quite a ways away from the rendezvous point." He gave Luke a good-natured frown and pointed at him in mock-warning. "No sparring to pass the time. This ship's beat-up enough as it is without you Jedi cutting holes in it."

Mara laughed, and Luke managed a small smile, but Leia showed no trace of amusement. She quietly left the hold, headed for the rear of the ship.

Luke started to get up, but Han held up a hand. "I'd let her cool down first before I talked to her about this again, if I were you."

The young Jedi nodded. "You're right."

* * *

In the Grand Vizier's office in the Senate building on Coruscant, Sate Pestage sat at his desk, busily going through the Imperial budget for the year. Vader was burning through credits, funneling trillions into the Imperial military, as usual, and this left a deficit in several other areas.

Pestage leaned back in his chair with an annoyed sigh. Vader was a warrior at heart, and this showed clearly through the way he ruled the Empire; he was single-mindedly focused on catching the Rebels, including his son Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the Empire could go to blazes for all he cared. Sate was left to handle the administrative duties of running the Empire, which mostly entailed cleaning up Vader's messes. The Senate was in an uproar, _again_, because Vader had once again increased the military budget without consulting them.

Threats were proving less and less effective against the angry politicians, which was also frustrating, because Sate knew, after working for Darth Vader for more than twenty years, that if they angered him enough, the Emperor would completely disband the Senate and turn the Empire into a military dictatorship, handing direct control over the galaxy to the Imperial Governors.

Sate allowed himself a slow grin; this wouldn't bother him at all, since most of the governors were loyal to _him_ and not Vader by now. The politicians were clamoring for change, risking accusations of treason by insisting that Vader make himself more accountable to the rest of the government. They had all been chafing under Vader's rule for far too long; many, many people were tired of having Darth Vader's boot heel on their necks, and while no one openly said anything, a revolution was brewing.

This, of course, played right into Sate's hands; he'd been plotting this for a year now.

The door buzzed, and Sate glanced over at the small screen set into his desk that displayed the feed from a small camera mounted above the outer door to his office. He recognized the woman standing there, and hit the control that opened the doors. As he did so, Sate engaged the privacy field around his office, scrambling any possible listening devices. No one could listen to this conversation; if any hint of the discussion that was about to take place got back to Lord Vader, he would have both of their heads.

A tall, arrogantly noble woman strode into Sate's office, attractive in a deadly sort of way. She was dressed in an Imperial uniform, red as freshly spilled blood, with black gloves covering her hands. Her long dark hair hung loosely around her face, a prominent white streak contrasting sharply.

Ysanne Isard, Director of Imperial Intelligence, was a woman of contrasts, in both personality and appearance, but her most distinguishing feature, by far, was her mismatched eyes, one red as fire and the other a cold ice-blue. Sate had more than once thought to himself that Isard's eyes matched the two extremes of her personality; she could be terrifyingly cold and emotionless in some situations, but sometimes her temper would flare with all the rage of a burning sun.

"Vader has isolated himself at Naboo," Isard announced without preamble as she strode up to the edge of Sate's desk. "The _Executor_ is alone there. Now is an excellent time to strike."

Sate leaned back in his chair, slowly tapping his fingers together. "You are confident the rest of the preparations are complete?" he asked, looking up at his co-conspirator.

Isard nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "The politicians are willing to follow you, and most of the military is willing to follow me. Three-quarters of the Empire will rally to our side, Pestage; if we destroy Vader and the _Executor_, we take out the best of the Navy's officers. After that, it's just a matter of mopping up the loyalists. Then," Isard's lips quirked in a slow, confident grin, "the Empire is ours."

"You mean mine."

Both of them jumped at the voice, looking around the office for the disembodied voice.

In one corner of Sate's office, the air seemed to shimmer and blur before a young man with closely shorn dark hair, dressed in a black Imperial uniform, appeared. He approached them swiftly, holding out one hand. Sate reflexively tried to leap under his desk for cover, but found he was unable to move, gripped in an invisible hold that kept him frozen in position. Across the desk, Isard was similarly frozen, though subtle movements and her expression made it obvious she was struggling against the hold.

Darth Nova, his eyes glowing a burning shade of yellow, looked between the Grand Vizier and the Director of Imperial Intelligence. "I have known for quite some time what you two were up to," he said. "The only reason you are still alive is because your conspiracy suits my own purposes."

The Sith Lord's voice was eerily calm as he walked in a slow circle around Sate and Isard. "I am adding myself as a third member of this conspiracy; I will rally the Sith to my own purposes, while Director Isard's followers among the military will work to quickly eliminate the loyalists. Pestage, your political connections will solidify my rulership."

He gestured to the two of them with one hand as he stopped beside the desk. "You two had the right idea; Darth Vader is no longer fit to rule this galaxy. The time has come for me to take his place as both Emperor and Sith Master." He leaned closer. "You two are going to help me with this. Otherwise, I will kill you both now. Your answers?"

Sate immediately nodded as soon as he was able, terrified. Isard shot the Sith Lord a glare of pure hatred, but after several seconds of silence, finally nodded once.

Nova gave them a disturbingly predatory grin. "Excellent," he said. "We have much work to do, then. Let's get to it."

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Months later than I intended, this story is _finally_ finished and ready to start posting. As I mentioned at the end of '_Tales From the Empire_', I was without reliable computer access for several months, thus the long delay. Hey, it's better than waiting three years, right? ;)

Thanks to Silverwolf05 and Desteni for beta reading, and also to all who read and review. Thanks for your support of this series; knowing there were people out there eagerly waiting to read this kept me writing and trying to do the best job I could. I plan to post a chapter of this every other day, depending on any last-minute edits needed or unexpected delays. Thanks for reading!


	2. Answering the Call

**Two**  
(Answering the Call)

The central briefing room of the Alliance flagship _Home One_ was abuzz with conversation as the gathered Rebels waited for the meeting to begin. At long last, here was their first viable chance for victory against the Empire; they had been organizing for this, stockpiling supplies, recruiting huge numbers of eager freedom fighters, and arming any ship they could get their hands on for years in preparation for the possibility of this day.

From his seat on the lowest level of the seating area, nearest the central holoprojector, Luke Skywalker looked around at the room full of faces inside the circular white room, framed above by expansive viewports which displayed the star-specked blackness of space. He extended his perceptions, feeling the worry, determination, excitement, and dozens of other emotions roiling through the crowd.

Luke moved part of his long brown outer robe out of the way, absently running the edge of his thumb up and down the cool metal grip of the lightsaber at his side. The call his father had sent out through the Force was foremost in his mind, and as he waited for the Alliance command to begin, he thought back over every detail of the brief vision he had seen.

On his left, he could sense that his sister Leia's thoughts ran in a similar direction, though she was decidedly more negative on the subject. She knew that Luke wanted to answer the call, to go to their father, and a part of her did, too, but another, larger part, wanted to ignore the call entirely, just to spite Vader. It was understandable, considering all that Vader had done to her over the years, but Luke was still troubled to feel anger so strongly within her.

On Luke's other side sat Mara Jade, who, as usual, was not wearing robes like Luke and Leia, but instead a form-fitting outfit in dark colors, designed for greatest freedom of movement. Her thoughts were sharp and clear, focused like a sweeping searchlight on looking around the audience. Underneath that, she was thinking about the possibility of seeing Vader again, and whether or not she would be able to confront him if it came to that. A dozen different memories of Vader displaying terrifying power flashed through her mind, accompanied by analysis of the techniques used and how best to counter them.

Luke reached over and squeezed her hand in reassurance, silently letting her know that he was similarly anxious about another confrontation with his father. But, he added through their bond in the Force, he would do what was necessary if it came down to battle again; he would stay at her side no matter what happened.

Mara smiled as she squeezed his hand back, assuring him of the same thing.

The crowd quieted as Mon Mothma approached the central holoprojector, elegant as always in her flowing white gown. Her voice was soft, yet filled with determination. "The Emperor has made a critical error," she began, looking around the circular white room at those gathered. "He has isolated himself and his flagship at the planet Naboo, cut off from the rest of his fleet. We do not currently know his reasons for this, but we cannot ignore the opportunity this presents.

"In one concerted effort, we can capture Darth Vader and force him to step down as Emperor. If he and his troops make that impossible, we will still be able to destroy the _Executor_ and remove the threat it and its crew pose to both our Alliance and to the peace of the galaxy."

Mon Mothma paused for a moment, looking around the auditorium at the Rebels. "This may be the most important thing we have ever done. It will require the full cooperation of the entire Alliance, with all its members working to their fullest, but it can be done. In one decisive strike, we can remove the leadership of the Imperial military, and from there begin the final campaign to topple the Empire once and for all. Our goal has always been to restore the Republic that Darth Vader and his master Palpatine destroyed, and today, we have a very real possibility of completing that goal."

The audience was abuzz with approving murmurs for several moments, and Mon Mothma waited until they fell silent to resume speaking. "Here to help us plan this final strike is Garm Bel Iblis, former Senator for Corellia."

As she stepped aside, gesturing to the tall, blond-haired man who strode up to the holoprojector next to her, several members of the audience gasped.

"I didn't know he was here," Mara murmured to Luke.

"I thought he was dead," said Han.

"Not dead," Leia said just as quietly. "But he did leave the Alliance a few years ago."

"Looks like he's back now," Han replied.

Bel Iblis waited for the murmurs to die down before he began speaking. "As many of you know, I was a founding member of this Alliance, but later broke away over disagreements with certain other elements of the leadership." He paused. "However, this is too important for me to ignore. So, I and all my forces have rejoined the Alliance to Restore the Republic, with the goal of helping you remove Darth Vader from power once and for all."

"Admiral Ackbar and I have worked out a preliminary strategy," Bel Iblis continued. "Four years ago, at the Battle of Yavin, only two squadrons of fighters managed to cripple the _Executor_." Bel Iblis smiled broadly. "You know what an extraordinary stroke of luck that was." He glanced at Luke. "The Force must have truly been with us that day."

His smile slowly faded. "It will need to be with us again for this operation," he said grimly. "Not only have Darth Vader and his crew upgraded the _Executor_ since the Battle of Yavin, removing the weaknesses that you were able to exploit, Grand Admiral Thrawn is aboard, in command of the flagship. He is largely responsible for the severity of the loss at Hoth, as well as any number of other operations that have been damaging to us. Make no mistake," Bel Iblis said firmly, "Thrawn is a genius, able to turn almost any situation to his advantage. We may greatly outnumber the _Executor_, but do not let yourselves become overconfident. A man of Thrawn's tactical abilities and a Super Star Destroyer are a deadly combination; we can win the battle, but it will still be arduous."

Bel Iblis was silent for a long moment, looking out over the audience with a grave expression. "We have devised a strategy, though. Admiral?"

Admiral Ackbar came forward to stand at the projector with Bel Iblis. At a gesture from his flipper-like hand, Bel Iblis manipulated a control on the projector, which flared to life, displaying a large, detailed representation of the Imperial flagship above the heads of the audience.

"The _Executor_ is the most advanced ship in the Imperial fleet," Ackbar began. "It is heavily armed and armored, with redundant shield generators, triple-layered armor plating over vital systems, and nearly twice the number of turbolaser emplacements of other ships of its class. Lord Vader and the crew of the _Executor_ were humiliated when we took advantage of their ship's weaknesses at Yavin, and they have spent the last several years ensuring that such a thing does not happen again."

The Mon Calamarian paused for a moment, looking out over the audience with his large, fish-like eyes. "But, there is still hope," he said. "There is a double agent aboard the flagship, one which many of you know as Beta Source. General Bel Iblis has suggested that we contact Beta Source to arrange for sabotage of some of the _Executor_'s systems prior to our attack."

A murmur passed like a wave through the crowd, the various gathered Rebels looking at each other in surprise.

"The identity of Beta Source has been kept a closely guarded secret to protect our agent from the Empire," Ackbar continued. "Up till now, the information Beta Source has provided to us has been far too valuable to allow the agent to be put at risk, but as Mon Mothma said, we cannot ignore this opportunity. We may never get another like it again."

Luke stood suddenly, approaching the projector without being summoned. Ackbar blinked in surprise at the interruption as he approached, and Bel Iblis opened his mouth to object, but Luke calmly raised a hand.

"I have another solution," he said, looking up at the Rebel commanders. "Let me go ahead to Naboo to talk to my father. I might be able to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this-"

A loud, incredulous snort from behind Ackbar and Bel Iblis interrupted him. "What is this foolishness?" Borsk Fey'lya demanded, swiftly standing and moving toward the center of the room. "Darth Vader has been searching for you ever since he learned of your existence, Skywalker. Now you want to go right to him? Have you gone mad?"

Luke maintained his calm expression, not allowing the irritating Bothan to provoke him. "My father's emotions are in turmoil right now," he said. "I can sense that he is conflicted. If I am able to persuade him to turn away from the Dark Side of the Force, he will become more reasonable and open to discussion. We can end this war without further loss of life."

The young Jedi turned to look up at the gathered members of the Rebellion. "Hasn't there been enough killing already? We are fighting this war so that we might form a more stable and ethical government to rule this galaxy. Why not show how we are better than the Empire by trying one last time to resolve things diplomatically?"

Ackbar looked down at him from the platform. "What do you propose?" he said.

Luke gestured back to where Mara, Leia, and Han sat. He had already discussed his plan with them, and Mara had said that she was going with him no matter what. Leia had required a bit of convincing, but she had finally agreed to go along, and once she was on board, so was Han.

"I ask that you allow my friends and I to go ahead of the fleet in the _Millennium Falcon_. According to our intelligence, Lord Vader is spending most of his time in my mother's mausoleum; this tells me that he is thinking back to the last time he saw her, the day before I was born and she died. I know that my mother's death is my father's deepest regret, so he may be more receptive to what I have to say right now."

"Oh, yes," Fey'lya said sarcastically, "let us send some of the most valuable members of this Rebellion directly into the Emperor's hands, exactly where he wants them. Perhaps his former agent can even be of some assistance in helping her master accomplish his exact goal for the last four years!"

Mara tensed, about to surge to her feet, but Luke sent out a calming wave through the Force, soothing her temper before she could hurl the justly deserved curses and insults boiling beneath the surface at the Bothan.

"You go too far, Fey'lya," Ackbar said before Luke could say anything. "Mara Jade has more than proven where her true loyalties now lie, and I will accept no further insinuations from you." He turned to fully face the Bothan. "Sit down," the Calamarian said curtly.

The Bothan scowled, but backed away and took his seat, glaring at Luke and Mara.

Bel Iblis had been quietly conferring with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa for a moment, and now he turned back to face Luke.

"You may go ahead of the fleet," he said, "but we will bring the rest of our forces to the edges of the system behind you. If you have not achieved some kind of preliminary cease-fire agreement within six hours of your landing, we will move in and activate our captured Interdictor ships to keep the _Executor_ from leaving."

Bel Iblis touched a control, and the image of the _Executor_ zoomed in on the long-range comm array. "The Empire has already disabled the system's HoloNet relays," he said. "If at all possible, you will relay to Beta Source that the _Executor_'s long-range communications must be disabled so that they cannot call for reinforcements. The nearest Imperial battle group is twelve hours away from the system at maximum lightspeed, so even if they call for the fleet immediately upon your landing, this will still give us time to engage the _Executor_ with our forces and either destroy or disable it before reinforcements arrive."

Luke nodded in acceptance.

"If you have not reported on your progress within six hours," Ackbar warned, "we will proceed with the attack."

"Very well," said Luke. "We will leave immediately."

* * *

Darth Nova stood before the Sith Master's throne in the Temple, in the circular chamber that had once been the Council room when this building belonged to the Jedi. Before him were crowded nearly a hundred other Sith, packed tightly together in the black and dark gray room. The curtains were drawn across the expansive windows, casting the room into an almost cave-like dimness, the only spot of illumination the solitary lamp active above the throne that draped the massive black chair in a cone of luminance.

"You are here," he began, looking at his followers, "because you believe, as I do, that Darth Vader is no longer fit to lead our Order and our Empire. He no longer has the strength or the conviction necessary to guide this galaxy into the golden age he has promised since he ascended the throne."

Approving murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"He claims to be fighting the Rebels," Nova went on, "but he refuses to do what is necessary! The Rebels are a plague, a cancer within this galaxy, and must be removed and destroyed before they infect too many worlds to save. What Lord Vader _should_ be doing is what we did when we were faced with the Ssi-Ruuk!" Nova exclaimed. "We should marshal our forces and chase them all back into their bases like the vermin that they are, and then we should exterminate them just as we did with the lizards!"

Many of the Sith, who had themselves fought against the Ssi-Ruuk, nodded in approval.

"It is the way of the Sith, the _true_ Sith, for the strong to eliminate the weak," Nova said, clenching his fist. "Vader is weak. When the Sith Apprentice has surpassed the Master, it is his duty to destroy him and so establish his power. The time has come for me to destroy Vader and take his place as Sith Master and Emperor. You are here because you believe the same as I do."

Nova beckoned one of the Sith out of the crowd, and the young woman moved forward with a sinuous predator's grace to stand at his side in front of the throne.

She was tall and muscular, with thick ebony hair partially bound up in warrior's braids to keep it out of her face. Her skin was pale, almost bone-white, but her piercing eyes, an electric shade of violet, stabbed out like daggers in a critical, fierce gaze over the crowd. She wore a tunic of lizard hide, its glittering scales alternating shades of deep purple and black, that left her muscular arms bare for greatest range of movement. Under the tunic, which dropped just below her hips, the young woman wore skintight black pants tucked into knee-length boots made of the same black-and-purple lizard hide as her tunic. A lightsaber hung from her belt along with a variety of other weapons, mostly daggers with wickedly curved and barbed blades.

"As of now, I declare that Darth Vader has lost his right to rule the Sith and the Empire. I declare myself Sith Master, and my greatest student Tamith Kai as my Sith Apprentice."

Tamith Kai crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin to look down at the other Sith as Darth Nova boldly stepped to the Sith Master's throne and ascended its steps. As his followers watched, Nova slowly lowered himself with grim dignity onto the throne, staring out from its shadows with burning yellow eyes.

"Kneel before your Master," Tamith Kai said to the crowd of Sith, her voice deep and rich, tinged with an exotic accent.

The black-robed crowd swiftly dropped to one knee before Darth Nova on his throne. When they were all on their knees, Tamith Kai glanced over her shoulder at Nova, who nodded approvingly.

"Rise," the Dathomiran warrior woman said sharply.

The crowd quickly obeyed again, gazing up at Nova with approving looks, silently swearing their loyalty to him.

"Excellent," Nova said with satisfaction. "This is only the beginning, my brothers and sisters. Go out among the rest of the Sith, and see who else might join our cause." He hardened his features into a grim, determined mask. "Kill the rest," he commanded. "Any still foolish enough to follow Vader are not worthy to be among us."

The crowd dispersed with malicious anticipation, intent on their new task. Once they were gone, Nova looked down at Tamith Kai. "Bring me Isard," he said. "It is time to complete our preparations."

The Dathomiran warrior nodded once and briskly strode from the room.

Nova watched her go as he settled back into his throne.

* * *

"Are you sure you still want to go through with this? It's not too late to turn around."

Luke, seated in the navigator's chair in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_, took a deep breath, looking out at the glittering stars and planets arrayed in front of them. He glanced over at Han, who was half turned around in his chair, looking at him concernedly.

"No, Han," said Luke. "This is something I have to do. If you don't want to risk the others, I'll take one of the escape pods."

Chewbacca bellowed an objection to this, and Han gave his copilot a hurt look.

"Of course I wasn't going to let him do it!" he said. "What kind of guy do you think I am?"

Chewie growled an amused comment, for which Han took a playful swing at his shoulder.

"Quiet, fuzz-head," Han chuckled.

Not for the first time, Luke wished he understood Chewbacca's language better. He smiled.

"So are we going or what?" Mara asked as she entered the cockpit. She dropped into the seat next to Luke, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, we're going," said Luke.

Han half-frowned as he turned back to the controls. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered under his breath. "Here we go," he said more loudly as he touched the hyperspace lever for a microjump into the system.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Executor_, Admiral Firmus Piett crossed to the sensor officer's station when the man reported a contact coming into range.

"What is it this time?" Piett asked as he descended the stairs into the port crew pit. "Another trader, or yet another returning Naboo cruiser demanding entrance to the system?"

The man was silent for a moment, staring at his screen incredulously, and Piett took a step closer, frowning.

"Comm station reports that the pilot has identified his ship as the _Millennium Falcon_, sir," the sensor officer reported.

"What?" Piett exclaimed incredulously.

"Sensor profile matches, sir," the sensor officer went on. "It's the same ship we chased at Hoth and Bespin."

"Well, what in blazes is he doing here? If he's seen us, why isn't he running away?" Piett demanded of the officer, who shrugged helplessly.

"Is there a problem, Admiral?" a quiet, cultured voice asked from the command walkway.

Piett glanced up at Grand Admiral Thrawn, who stood above them, his glowing red eyes fixed on the admiral. "The _Millennium Falcon_ has just entered sensor range, sir," he said.

The comm station flared to life, and a life-size hologram of Darth Vader appeared on the walkway next to Thrawn, interrupting whatever the Grand Admiral had been about to say.

"_Allow my son's vessel to land_," Vader said to Piett. "_Direct him to my coordinates_."

Just as abruptly, the hologram disappeared.

Piett and Thrawn exchanged a glance, and the Grand Admiral cocked an eyebrow.

"Skywalker is surrendering?" Piett said, surprised.

"So it would seem," said Thrawn. "Relay Lord Vader's coordinates to the _Millennium Falcon_."

Piett carried out his orders, but as he did so, a nagging thought crept into the back of his mind; when the Rebellion had first announced the existence of its young Jedi, many on both sides had suspected that he was Anakin Skywalker's son, though there was much speculation as to his mother's identity. However, the Emperor had, at the time, released a statement condemning the Rebellion's claims, calling the boy an impostor and offering a bounty for his capture.

But the Emperor had just offhandedly confirmed Skywalker was his son. If this was true, Piett thought, watching the white shape of the _Millennium Falcon_ as it flew past them on its way down to the planet, then something else was also true.

Padmé Amidala's death had not gone unnoticed during the uproar of the Transition, and it was widely rumored that she had been pregnant at the time. The times were about right; the late Senator's child would be Skywalker's age by now. And, there was no other reason Piett could think of for Vader to come here and spend days on end inside her mausoleum.

Anakin Skywalker was the father of Senator Amidala's rumored child, and that child was Luke Skywalker.

Piett stared down at the blue-and-green globe of Naboo below them. What was Lord Vader's objective here? Had he really come here to make peace with his son over his wife's grave?

If so, did that mean Skywalker would be joining the ranks of the Empire? Or -and Piett almost did not dare hope this- did this mean that the Emperor was ready to negotiate some kind of cease-fire with the Rebellion?

Piett glanced over at Thrawn to find his commanding officer staring back at him as if he had been reading Piett's mind, his glowing red eyes intense.

"If the Rebels are here to negotiate," said Thrawn, "I will recommend that Lord Vader accept their offer of cease-fire. The Empire has better things to do with its personnel and resources than chase a band of dissidents about the galaxy."

Piett nodded in wholehearted agreement.

* * *

Trooper TK-421 stood at attention outside the _Millennium Falcon_ at the head of his squad of elite stormtroopers. The entire honor guard that had accompanied the Emperor to the surface of Naboo was gathered outside the disreputable-looking freighter, which hissed and clicked as its systems cooled down from its descent.

At the base of the ramp stood Lord Vader, completely motionless but for the hem of his cloak, which shifted around his feet in the slight breeze blowing across the green meadow outside the mausoleum. Around him stood the red-robed Royal Guards, their pikes held ready in preparation for any Rebel trickery.

In addition, Tyraj saw, his sister Malysa stood at the Emperor's side. She was never far from Lord Vader these days; it seemed that every time Tyraj saw the Emperor, his sister was not far behind. Her posture was stiff and formal; there was not a hair out of place or a wrinkle in her robes to be seen, and her lightsaber gleamed at her side.

With a hiss and rattle, the docking ramp of the Corellian freighter slowly lowered, and down it strode three of the most wanted fugitives in the Empire.

His expression placid, Luke Skywalker stopped in front of Darth Vader and calmly looked him in the eye, gesturing to Leia Organa and Han Solo. "On behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic," he said formally, "we come to negotiate a cease-fire between our forces and those of the Empire."

Organa looked up at the Emperor resolutely, while Solo seemed nervous but trying to hide it. Tyraj had been in the freezing chamber at Bespin; he knew that all three of these people had good reason to be afraid.

TK-421 noticed the Emperor's back stiffen when a fourth person, a young woman in form-fitting dark clothes with red-gold hair, descended the ramp. She met his gaze coolly, one hand resting on her hip next to the hilt of a lightsaber.

Tyraj's eyes narrowed within his helmet, and his fingers tightened their grip on his blaster rifle. Tyraj did not know the young woman's name, but he did know that she was a traitor; he had seen her in an Imperial uniform at Bespin, and had heard from some of his fellow stormtroopers how she had stolen Solo's frozen body and delivered it to his friends, aiding them in their escape.

But instead of a cutting remark or a pronouncement of capture, as TK-421 had been expecting, Lord Vader simply said, "Follow me," and turned to walk back to the mausoleum.

He kept his posture perfectly straight, but Tyraj felt like reeling in shock; what was going on here?

* * *

Ysanne Isard scowled at the Sith woman's back as their turbolift ascended the central tower of the Sith Temple. The lizard-skin-clad young woman -who had not deigned to tell Isard her name- had come arrogantly marching into Imperial Intelligence Headquarters and had the sheer gall to demand that Isard accompany her back to the Temple. And, to top off the indignity of being summoned like a common servant, the young woman had forcibly dragged Isard out from behind her desk with the Force when she had objected.

The Director had been fuming the entire way here. If she hadn't been sure it would be fruitless, she would have drawn her hold-out blaster and shot the Sith woman in the head for this.

The muscular young woman gestured for Isard to precede her from the turbolift, and marched her briskly down the hall and up the stairs to the throne room, where, Isard noted with dark amusement, Darth Nova was sitting upon the throne that did not yet rightfully belong to him.

"What do you want?" Isard snapped at the young man.

Instantly, she felt a sharp pain in her legs as the Sith woman kicked her behind the knees. Isard felt a hand grab her by the hair, and she let out a curse when the Sith woman roughly slammed her forehead to the cold stone floor.

"You will show your Emperor the proper respect!" the Sith woman snarled in her ear.

_If he deserved to sit on that throne, I would_, Isard thought but was wise enough not to say.

"Let her up, Tamith Kai," Nova said, his voice tinged with dark amusement. No doubt he was delighted to see Isard humiliated like this.

The sharp pain in Isard's scalp lessened as the muscular young woman released her hair and stepped away. With as much dignity as she could manage, Ysanne got to her feet and smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform, then ran one gloved hand over her hair.

"It is time for you to execute the plans you have prepared so painstakingly, my dear Director," Nova said, smirking sardonically. Standing beside the throne, his crony's wine-dark lips quirked in an equally cruel smile.

Ysanne nodded once, not daring to speak lest she hurl curses at both Sith; her temper was so close to the boiling point that she literally trembled with the effort of keeping herself calm.

"Tell the elements of the Fleet you have gathered to go to the Naboo system," Nova ordered. "The _Lusankya_ will serve as my command ship."

Insult to injury; Nova was commandeering Isard's own personal Star Destroyer as his flagship. No doubt he had chosen her vessel specifically to anger her.

"Will there be anything else… sir?" Isard grated between clenched teeth.

She gasped as she felt a sudden, intense pressure around her throat, squeezing until black spots swarmed over her vision.

"You will address me as 'my lord' in the future," Darth Nova said with cruel calm.

He released his invisible grip on her, and it took every iota of Isard's willpower to remain on her feet and not collapse into a heap on the floor.

"Yes… my lord," she strained out, her voice rough.

Nova smirked, then bid her to leave with a dismissive wave of his hand.

When her messages were sent, Isard headed directly to her private training room to vent her rage on some unsuspecting sparring droids.

* * *

Leia gazed at the numerous depictions of her mother on the walls of Padmé's mausoleum as the four of them and Vader walked through the main hall. She looked at the holographs of her mother in her formal robes and gowns during her terms as Queen, along with more relaxed images taken among her family.

Leia paused by one when she realized that, judging by the timestamp in the lower corner, she herself was in the picture, though indirectly; the portrait, taken with Padmé's parents, her sister and her nieces, had been taken while Leia's mother was pregnant with her and Luke.

She noticed Han looking at a painted portrait that hung next to an image taken from the Battle of Geonosis. The portrait had been painted in tribute to Naboo's beloved former Queen after her death; in it, she was depicted with a kind of calm determination, a serene but durasteel-hard resolve conveyed by her expression, especially around the eyes.

Han glanced over at her and smiled. "Your mom was a real pretty lady," he said.

Leia smiled back. "Yes, she was."

Despite her feelings concerning her father, Leia was proud to have a woman like Padmé as her mother. Though she would always think of Breha and Bail Organa as her parents, she wondered what her life would have been like if she had grown up here on this peaceful, pastoral world among her mother's family.

"The artist made her too sad," Vader's unwelcome voice broke into her thoughts. "Your mother was always quick to smile; it was one of the things I loved about her."

Leia did not turn from the portrait, but she could see Vader's reflection in the glass. With his short, graying hair and beard, along with his mechanical eye, he was almost completely unrecognizable as the young man standing at her mother's side in the image from Geonosis hanging next to the painting.

_He's not the same man_, Leia thought to herself. _Not anymore._

In the glass, Vader seemed stung by her stony silence. His face hardened, and he turned to march with too-loud footsteps to the end of the hall.

Leia paused for a moment to collect herself before she followed, ignoring the slightly reproving look Luke was directing at her. What right did he have? He hadn't felt the burn of Vader's Force Lightning, hadn't been there when the Dark Lord pronounced her family traitors to the Empire and made a show of imprisoning them in their own palace until he could execute them.

Luke hadn't been at Bespin, hadn't heard Han's screams as Vader sadistically tortured him for no reason other than sheer malice and then callously condemned him to a dangerous freezing procedure, indifferent to the outcome. Luke hadn't been there to see the look on Han's face as he tried to seem brave while he was slowly lowered into the pit, and vanished from sight.

When she entered the inner room, Leia paused, looking down into the transparisteel coffin that held her mother's silent body. Vader stood at the end like a great black specter, an angel of death come, not to give it, but to take it away. He looked up as she entered the tomb, silently meeting her eyes with his own, one natural and one mechanical.

Fitting, Leia thought; he was less than human within his soul as well as his body, more machine now than man.

"You know why I have asked you here," Vader said solemnly, looking first at Leia and then at Luke. "Through study of the Force, I have learned how to take away death, to make it a thing of the past. Life can be given," he continued, "and through the powers I now possess, sustained indefinitely. There is no need for anyone I love to die ever again."

"You are not capable of love," Leia spat. "I know what you are doing here and why, and I'll have no part of it."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the tomb, ignoring the protests of Vader and Luke. Her brother sent out a questing tendril of the Force, a mental hand held up to ask her to wait, but Leia angrily pushed it aside and kept going.

She sensed Han following after her, and once she was out in the main hall, she stopped next to one of the pictures of her mother and looked over at him. "Don't try to convince me to go back in there," she said warningly.

Han slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't think of it," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "I didn't particularly want to watch, myself. I think the dead should be left to rest in peace, no matter what Vader thinks he can do."

Leia brought her hand up to clasp his, and Han squeezed her fingers reassuringly in return.

"I love you," said Han.

Leia smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "I know."

* * *

Luke could plainly see the hurt on his father's face as Leia left, followed by Han, but Vader set his features back into a grim mask once she was gone, turning to the coffin again.

Vader pulled the glove from his natural hand and reached over to touch the transparisteel above Padmé's face with his fingers. A great look of sorrow passed over his face then, and he took a deep breath. "I am ready to begin," he said. "I will start the procedure myself, and I will ask for your help when it is needed."

Luke looked over at Mara, and she met his gaze, but both her expression and her presence in the Force were inscrutable, giving no hint as to what she was thinking. She did, however, slip her hand into his and squeeze. Luke gave her a small smile, turning back to the coffin and his father.

He saw Vader looking at him, and his father's mismatched gaze went from him to Mara, a flicker of surprise passing across his face, followed by grudging acceptance.

Vader took one last breath, and then held out his hands. The transparisteel lid of Padmé's coffin slowly lifted free of its base and floated over to the wall, where it gently set down with barely a sound.

Luke looked down at his mother's face, amazed at how lifelike she looked. It appeared she was merely asleep, waiting to be awakened.

And that was what would happen, Luke thought; with his father's new powers, death was now no more of a foe than sleep. He shifted, pushing away his impatience with the Force. Finally, after an entire lifetime of wondering who she was and what she was like, today Luke would meet his mother.

Vader spread his arms, holding his hands above his wife's body, and Luke felt a deep, rumbling thrum echo through the Force, a massive build-up of power swirling like a hurricane with his father in the eye.

Luke closed his eyes, viewing the scene through the Force instead. He saw before him his father standing in a maelstrom of light, a nexus of unbelievably powerful energy that flowed around him and through the body of the woman before him.

As Luke watched, the light swirled through the body of his mother, penetrating each cell to repair and renew it.

A spark! A flicker of life, where there had been none but a moment earlier.

But, it was not enough. Even as Luke watched, the light dimmed within his mother and began to flow away.

Before Vader could ask for his help, Luke opened his own mind and poured the floodwaters of his own power into his father, doubling the energy that had been available. He sensed power flowing into him, and realized Mara was providing her own support, adding her strength to his.

Luke sent out a light touch of the Force to his sister, asking for her help, as well, but she pushed him away again, withdrawing further into herself.

With the combined strength of Luke and Mara added to Vader's, the whirlpool of light spun faster and faster, rushing like a cleansing tide through the body of Luke's mother. He sensed the energy building and building, reaching its apex, and he opened his eyes.

Before him, his mother gasped in a deep breath, sat up, and opened her eyes.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: The next chapter will be up the day after tomorrow. Thanks for reading!


	3. Resurrection

**Three**  
(Resurrection)

Admiral Firmus Piett paced the command walkway in the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_, his hands clasped behind his back. There had been no word from the surface in hours, no contact from the Emperor since he had allowed the _Millennium Falcon_ to land unharmed.

Piett had no idea what was happening down there, and this made him extremely uneasy.

In contrast, Grand Admiral Thrawn stood perfectly still, perusing a report on a datapad at the rear of the bridge. "Lord Vader will contact us when he is ready, Admiral," he said without looking up from his datapad. "The procedure may take several hours."

Piett stopped and looked back at his commanding officer. "What procedure, sir?" he asked. "Do you know what they're doing down there?"

Thrawn looked up at him across the bridge. "Patience, Admiral," he said. Frustratingly, he did not elaborate.

Piett sighed to himself. He walked over to the starboard crew pit and ordered, "Run a diagnostic on the shield generators. Something about this whole situation makes me uneasy, and I want to be ready for any surprises."

"Yes, sir," said one of the technicians, turning to his workstation.

Piett sighed again, resuming his pacing. He hated not knowing what was going on.

* * *

Luke Skywalker watched in astonishment as his mother took her first breath in twenty-three years, sat up, and opened her eyes. Beside him, Mara's hand tightened on his as he felt her surprise through the Force.

Darth Vader's expression could only be described as pure joy; in that moment he seemed to allow a glimmer of his old self through, and become Anakin Skywalker again for a moment at least.

Padmé's dark brown eyes went to his face, and she peered at him curiously for a long moment, as if she did not know who he was. She reached out a hand to touch his face, and suddenly a flicker of recognition spread across her features.

"Anakin?"

Luke saw an actual tear slowly descend his father's cheek, vanishing into his graying whiskers. Anakin brought up his natural hand to clasp Padmé's, smiling.

"Yes," he said. "It's me."

"You look so different," Padmé said, running her eyes over his short hair, his dark uniform, the glowing blue prosthetic that had taken the place of his right eye. "What's happened to you?"

Anakin took a deep breath, opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again, unable to think of what to say. "I…" he began, but trailed off, staring at her in wonderment. "I… I hoped it would work, but I almost didn't believe it would."

"Would what work?" Padmé asked. She gasped before Anakin could reply, and sank back a little, her eyes fluttering, but he caught her.

"Padmé?" Anakin said, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

She reached up with one hand to touch her fingertips to her forehead. "I feel… I feel very… strange," she said. "I don't quite know how to describe it."

"Do you sense anything wrong, Luke?" his father asked him, looking over at him.

Luke approached, reaching out with the Force. "No," he said. "She seems to be all right." He traded a delighted glance with his father. "I think it worked!"

"Luke?" Padmé said curiously. She reached out a hand to touch his arm, and as she looked into his eyes, he saw a startled flash of recognition there. "You're…" she breathed. "But you can't be!"

"It's been more than twenty years, Padmé," said Anakin. "You've been… asleep… for a very long time."

Luke saw tears brimming in his mother's eyes, and she reached out and folded him into an embrace, warm and _alive_. Her hand came up to stroke his hair. "Oh, Luke!" she said. "My son!" She pulled back, looking up at him with tears of joy brimming in her eyes. "Oh, look how grown-up you are! You look so handsome."

Luke felt tears of his own well up, and his breath caught in his throat. He could think of nothing to say, nothing that seemed right in the face of a miracle like this.

Padmé turned slightly, looking behind him, and he saw another delighted smile light up her face. Luke turned to see his sister standing in the entryway of the inner chamber, looking in with an astonished expression.

"It actually worked," Leia said, amazed. "I didn't think you'd really be able to do it."

"Leia?" their mother said, looking back at her with an equally amazed expression.

Leia rushed forward as Padmé swung her legs down over the base of the pedestal that had supported her coffin, and embraced her mother, tears of joy brimming in her own dark eyes. "I can't believe this!" Leia exclaimed. "It's really you!"

As they pulled back, Padmé looked at her daughter curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you were… dead," Leia said. "I didn't think I'd ever be able to talk to you."

Surprise spread over Padmé's face. "Dead?"

Suddenly, the surprise turned to thoughtfulness, as if she was trying to remember something, and then horror, pure, terrified horror came over her face. She recoiled away from Anakin, pulling Luke and Leia back with her.

"I remember!" she exclaimed. "I remember," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I remember what Obi-Wan told me, what he said and…" She trailed off, bringing up a hand to point at her husband. "And what _you did_. You tried to kill me!"

"No!" Anakin exclaimed, pained. "I love you!"

"Liar!" Padmé shouted at him. "You tried to kill me, me and our children. You're a _monster!_"

"Padmé, please," Anakin pleaded, reaching out a hand for her, but she backed away again.

"I remember what Obi-Wan said. He told me _you_ were the one who attacked the Jedi Temple, and that you killed children. _Children_, Anakin! How could you?"

"It was all to save you!" Anakin snapped, rage flaring up within him. "That was all I ever wanted, was to save you!"

"No," Padmé said. "The Anakin I knew would never murder children, not even to save a single life. Obi-Wan was right; you have fallen. You're a… a Sith!"

Luke looked back at his father, who stiffened, cold fury hardening his expression, fists clenched at his sides as he visibly struggled to keep himself under control.

"I don't know what happened to you," Padmé said, "but you are not the man I loved. Not anymore."

"Perhaps not," said Vader, his voice deadly calm.

Luke took a step toward him, trying to find a way to salvage the situation, but Vader spoke again before he could say anything.

"Leia," he said tersely, "take your mother back to your fleet and have her checked out by your doctors. I will return to the _Executor._"

Before Leia could reply or Padmé could say anything, Vader stiffly turned and marched out of the tomb, his hands clenched so tightly that his leather gloves creaked.

Luke hurried after him, Mara a step behind. "Father," Luke began.

But Vader said nothing, only continued on his way out through the main hall of the mausoleum. Malysa Kolos looked up from where she had been standing next to the entrance with the Royal Guards, but Vader continued on past her without a word. She fell into step behind him, glancing over at Luke, who followed.

"Father, I'm going with you," Luke said, reaching out to touch Vader's arm.

Vader stopped and turned toward him so swiftly that it startled Luke for a moment. "What do you want?" he said, obviously still fighting to keep himself under control.

"Father, the Alliance fleet is here," Luke said.

Vader said nothing, continuing to stare back at him coldly.

"I still want to negotiate the cease-fire," Luke went on. "I want this war to end as much as you do."

"Do you?" Vader said acidly.

Luke met his father's gaze resolutely. "Yes, I do," he replied. "We can have peace, Father. No one else has to die."

Vader drew himself up to his full height, looking down at his son for a long moment. "Very well," he said shortly. "Come with me."

As he marched down the steps of the mausoleum and across the grassy field, black cloak flaring out behind him, Luke followed along with Mara and Malysa.

_I'm worried about him_, Luke sent through the Force to Mara.

_He was always scariest when he got quiet like this_, she agreed. _You should tread lightly, but stay with him to make sure he doesn't do something reckless right now. He's trying to hide it, but I can tell he's hurting._

Ahead of them, Vader stormed up the ramp of his shuttle, and they hurried to catch up.

* * *

Once Leia and her mother were aboard the _Falcon_, Han went up to the cockpit while Chewbacca finished up a repair he had been making to the dorsal blaster turret while he had been waiting. Leia went back to the main hold with her mother and sat down behind the holographic gameboard.

"I was really… dead?" Padmé said as Leia approached, looking up at her.

She slid in beside her mother, looking over at her. "Yes," she said. "Master Yoda said you died after you gave birth to Luke and me. Master Kenobi had Bail Organa put you in suspended animation so they could send you back to your family on Naboo. They put you in the mausoleum, and you've been there ever since."

"I remember," Padmé said. "Obi-Wan was there when you were born." She stared down at her hands. "That seems like only a few minutes ago to me. The last thing I remember is…" She trailed off, falling silent for a moment before continuing. "Telling Obi-Wan that there was still good in your father," she said quietly.

She sighed, propping her elbows on the table. "I wish I hadn't shouted at him," she said. "But I felt so… confused. Things were coming back to me, and I remembered him choking me on Mustafar. It was all such a… jumble."

"He's done a lot of evil things," Leia said quietly. "He killed Palpatine and took over the Empire, and he's been ruling it ever since."

Padmé sighed, closing her eyes. "So he's only fallen further." She looked over at Leia. "It's really been twenty years?"

"Twenty-three." Leia looked down at the table again. "Twenty-three of the darkest years this galaxy has known in a long time."

"So… Anakin really brought me back to life with the Force," Padmé said, looking back down at her hand.

"No, Darth Vader brought you back. Anakin is dead," Leia said, more vehemently than she meant. When her mother looked up at her, startled by the sharpness in her voice, Leia's expression softened.

She reached over to touch her mother's hand. Regardless of the circumstances, Leia had to admit that she was happy to actually be able to talk to her real mother. She would have never thought it possible, and she was excited by the opportunity.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know he wasn't always like he is now, but it's hard for me to accept that. He's done so many horrible things to me and the people I love that I don't think I can ever forgive him."

Padmé nodded slowly. "Before we went to Mustafar, Obi-Wan told me about some of the things Anakin had done. He said that he…" Padmé paused to take a breath, visibly upset. "Anakin killed dozens of Jedi at the Temple when he and the clone troopers attacked it. Obi-Wan said that he saw a security hologram of Anakin killing… children. I didn't want to believe him, but when I saw him on Mustafar, I…" She looked up at Leia, and her eyes were wet. "He was… different. He wasn't… he wasn't Anakin anymore. He was Vader then, lost in the Dark Side."

"He's only gotten worse from there," Leia said. "Luke says that he thinks there's still good in him, but I don't see it."

Padmé looked back down at her hands. "There must be," she said quietly. "Why else would he bring me back? I saw it in his eyes, when I woke up and he was there next to me. He still loves me."

Leia did not reply, thinking about this to herself. Both of them were quiet for a moment, but finally Padmé looked up at Leia and smiled, changing the subject.

"I can't believe how grown-up you and your brother are. The last time I saw you, you were…" She smiled again. "And now you're ready to start a family of your own."

Leia blushed, embarrassed. "Well, I…"

Padmé laughed lightly. "I see the way you look at Han. He seems like a good man, Leia. I'm proud of you." She squeezed her daughter's hand. "Now, tell me about your life. I've missed out on all of it, and I want to get to know you better."

And so, as the _Millennium Falcon_ left Naboo, headed back to the gathered Rebel fleet, Leia told her mother about her life, her triumphs and her disappointments, happiness and tragedy. As they talked, Leia realized how similar her life had been to her mother's, and how much she herself was like this remarkable woman.

* * *

Malysa Kolos sat in one of the chairs in her quarters, staring down at the small scrap of flimsiplast Mara Jade had surreptitiously slipped into the pocket of her outer robe as they were leaving Lord Vader's shuttle.

It simply read, '_If Vader does not announce a cease-fire, disable the long-range comm array.'_

This was it, then. After four years of secrets, lies, and constant fear of discovery and death, her mission was almost over. The Rebels were finally ready to strike.

Malysa took off her black outer robe and tossed it over the chair. Crossing to her bedroom, she retrieved her lightsaber's original azure crystal from its hiding place and stared into its facets, as she often did when her thoughts were troubled. It helped to calm her nerves, to remind her that despite the image she projected to everyone else, she was still truly a Jedi, a guardian of peace and justice and not an agent of tyranny and violence like the rest of the Sith.

To maintain her cover, Malysa had been forced to do things that would haunt her for the rest of her life. The mission, she had to keep reminding herself. The mission was too important. The Rebellion _needed_ a double agent placed close to the Emperor. Her unique situation was too valuable to the cause for her to be caught, and so, for the last four years, she had put up a convincing show of being just as immersed in the Dark Side as all the rest of the Sith Master's students.

It was, in an odd way, rather like what Mara Jade had been through; she had started as an agent of the Empire, and for three years, no one in the Rebellion suspected her identity. But then, at Bespin, all that had changed. She saw what was wrong with the Empire, and became a Rebel in truth.

In the beginning, Malysa had constantly feared that the dark reverse would happen to her, that she would come to believe her own cover story and fall to the Dark Side just to be rid of the constant tension of being careful not to get caught. But though at times she thought she was alone on this ship, she was not; she still had her Jedi teacher, the constant, reassuring presence in the back of her mind that let her know that what she was doing was right. She may have been forced to do some evil things, but on the whole, her time here had done enough good to balance out the scales of justice.

Malysa held up her azure crystal against the velvety blackness outside the viewport, thinking of the friends she had lost, the life she had had to leave behind. Her parents on Kuat had had no word from her in more than five years, ever since her first Jedi Master and her fellow student had had to go deeper into hiding to avoid the encroaching black fist of the Empire. Her brother Tyraj was a stormtrooper, she knew, but she did not know where he was assigned. For all she knew, he could have been killed years ago in a battle with the Rebellion.

If Darth Vader did not announce the cease-fire, and decided to take Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade prisoner instead, Malysa knew she was their only hope for escape. For her years of supposedly loyal service, Lord Vader had recently presented her with her own shuttle, complete with a hyperdrive, with which to carry out his secretive missions. When Mara Jade had defected, much of the burden of her former duties had shifted to Malysa and several other agents she knew of, scattered around the Empire.

Malysa began to make her plans. She had lived aboard the _Executor_ for the last four years, and despite its massive size, she could navigate the flagship's corridors well enough now that she did not require a map.

Once the long-range transmitter was disabled, it would not take long for someone to notice and raise the alert. Malysa estimated that she might have perhaps twenty minutes from the time she sabotaged the array to collect Luke and Mara, then get down to the hangar deck where she kept her shuttle and flee the ship. It might be possible, she thought, but it would be extremely difficult.

But she would succeed. She had to.

* * *

_Home One_ was in an uproar when the _Millennium Falcon_ touched down in its accustomed berth in the hangar bay. Han, Leia, and Padmé quickly went up to the bridge to see what was happening.

When they arrived, Han looked around at the gathered Rebel leaders to find them all staring incredulously at the main screen, where Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker stood side by side, announcing the cease-fire between the Empire and the Rebellion.

"Luke said all the right code phrases," Garm Bel Iblis was saying to Admiral Ackbar as Han approached. "He's not under duress; this is real."

"The war is over?" Bail Organa exclaimed in shock.

"The _fighting_ is over, for now," said Mon Mothma, standing next to him. "We have yet to see if the Emperor will make good on his promise to open true negotiations. He may simply arrest us all when we arrive."

Han snorted. "I wouldn't put it past him."

The Rebel leaders turned to face him, and almost simultaneously their expressions shifted into varying degrees of surprise. Han was about to halfheartedly apologize for speaking out of turn when he realized they were staring, not at him, but at Leia's mother behind him.

Now their reactions made perfect sense; Han himself had done something similar when a dead woman walked out of her own tomb, talking to her daughter.

"Padmé?" exclaimed Mom Mothma. The shock had disrupted even her legendary unflappable composure.

"Yes, it really is me," Padmé said, approaching. "I can hardly believe it myself."

"I thought you were dead!" said Bail Organa. "No, I _know_ you were dead."

"Anakin brought me back to life with the Force somehow," Padmé said. "My son helped him."

"But how is such a thing even possible?" inquired Ackbar. "You have been dead for decades!"

"I would like to know as much as you, believe me," said Padmé, looking around the bridge at the leaders of the Rebellion. "But now is not the time. We need to secure peace between the Alliance and the Empire while we still can. Anakin is more receptive to the idea right now than he ever would have been before, and we need to take advantage of this."

She drew herself up, and Han saw echoes of Leia in her stance; now he knew where she got it from. "I would like to request to join the diplomatic team. I may not know everything about current events right now, but I know I can be a calming influence on Anakin. If I show my support for this, he is more likely to agree."

Mon Mothma nodded. "Of course. We will begin the preparations at once."

* * *

After that, the rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur for Han as he and Leia raced about the Alliance flagship, conferring and preparing and a hundred other -ings. Han himself could scarcely believe it, but it seemed like these negotiations were really going to happen. He had been expecting a fight, but most of Han's expectations for what would happen today had been proved completely wrong, so he didn't know what to think anymore.

Finally, during a break in the whirlwind of activity, Han was approached by Garm Bel Iblis, who asked to speak to him privately.

"I don't trust the Emperor's intentions here," Bel Iblis said once they entered an unused conference room. "This whole situation is going entirely too well."

"I agree," Han replied. "I keep expecting the trap to spring any minute."

"Well, in case it does," said Bel Iblis, "I and some of the other officers have agreed to keep the fleet on high alert during the negotiations. The original plan still stands, as far as I'm concerned; at the first sign of treachery from Vader and Thrawn, we engage the _Executor_."

Han nodded. "I'm with you."

Bel Iblis smiled grimly. "Good." He turned to look out of the viewport at the rest of the fleet, arrayed around the flagship on the outskirts of the system. "Vader has agreed to hold the negotiations in neutral territory, in the Royal Palace on Naboo. _Home One_ and _Executor_ will hold position above the planet, but we're going to keep the rest of the fleet just beyond the orbit of the furthest moon, where we can come to the rescue if Thrawn tries anything. He's promised not to summon any additional Imperial ships, but I haven't stayed alive as long as I have by trusting Imperial promises."

Han smirked. "Hey, same here." He patted the blaster at his side. "I'm going to be staying with Leia the whole time to make sure Vader doesn't try anything on the ground."

Bel Iblis reached out to clap him on the shoulder. "Good," he said. "Maybe we have the incredible luck for this to be real, but in case it all goes wrong, we're ready."

* * *

Alone in his quarters aboard the _Executor_, Darth Vader sat in his chair and stared at his wall full of lightsabers, as he often did.

How had it all gone so wrong?

He had brought Padmé back to life, but she had recoiled from him, calling him _monster._

Monster.

Perhaps he was a monster, he thought. Perhaps he _had_ done too much to ever be forgiven. He had thought that he had been working for more than twenty years to finally bring peace to a troubled galaxy that had seen too much of war. Again and again, he had raged to himself and to his officers that the Rebellion was pointless; why bring more war upon a galaxy that had still not recovered from the last one?

But, perhaps he could still salvage the situation. Thrawn was right; the Far Outsiders were coming, and when they arrived, they would sweep like a plague across this galaxy if it wasn't ready. They needed to present a strong, unified front against the invaders. If the worlds of this galaxy were still squabbling amongst themselves when the Far Outsiders finally arrived, they would be overrun, and a permanent shroud of darkness would descend upon them all.

Vader stood and left his quarters, headed for the hangar deck. When he summoned the turbolift, he found young Kolos inside, scrolling through a datapad. She inclined her head respectfully as the Sith Master entered, and after a few moments, turned to him.

"We are really going to pursue peace with the Rebellion?" she asked. He sensed an almost hopeful note hidden in her tone.

Vader turned to look down at her. "Yes."

Kolos was quiet for a moment. "The war with the Far Outsiders' advance force isn't going well, is it?"

"It is not," Vader replied. "Any political problems must be set aside in the face of an overwhelming military threat. Fighting among ourselves accomplishes nothing."

The young woman did not reply, but Vader sensed quiet approval within her mind. He mused to himself that she had taken his lessons well; he did not sense the Dark Side in dominance within her. She was still balanced enough to remain reasonable.

Malysa Kolos would make a more fitting Sith Apprentice, Vader thought. Nova had become increasingly unreliable lately, disappearing for weeks on end on missions of his own devising. Even when Vader did manage to talk to him, he sensed the Dark Side roiling within his apprentice, far beyond the limits he should have allowed.

Worst of all, Nova had ignored his call. The main reason Vader had selected Nova as his Sith Apprentice was because of the sheer power the young man could command, potential on a level with Vader's own. He had known he would need power in order to accomplish the procedure, strength beyond his own in order to bring Padmé back to life.

One Force-user on the level of the Skywalkers and Darth Nova was worth a dozen, a hundred others. Vader had hoped that together he and his Sith Apprentice would work to bring his wife back, but Nova had not come.

Without Luke, Vader knew, he would have failed, and there would have been no chance for a second try.

But she had rejected him anyway, even after all the sacrifices he had made, all he had done so that he could finally have her back. She had called him _monster_ and left him.

As the turbolift slowed to a stop, Vader angrily pushed these thoughts from his mind, bringing his focus back to the present.

"My lord?" Kolos inquired concernedly. "Are you all right?"

"Let's just get this over with," Vader replied, striding from the turbolift.

* * *

Mara stood next to Luke in a long conference room with a soaring vaulted ceiling, watching the door at the far end. She could sense her former master approaching, his presence in the Force turbulent and troubled. He was hurt and angry, but trying fiercely to keep himself under control.

The large door whisked open, and Mara noted that almost everyone in the room tensed as the most feared man in the galaxy strode inside, his black cloak sweeping out behind him dramatically as he crossed to the table at which sat most of the Alliance leadership.

Even Mara half expected him to draw his lightsaber and massacre the lot of them right there, or at least pronounce that they were all under arrest, but instead he remained calm as he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, accompanied by Malysa Kolos, who was acting as his aide.

Mara let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, glancing over at Luke, who had a small, approving smile on his face.

"I will begin by officially informing you of my orders to the Imperial military to cease hostilities against your forces throughout the galaxy," Vader said, looking across the table at the Alliance delegation. His eyes stayed on Padmé a fraction of a second longer than the others, but he said nothing to her.

"We will order our forces to stand down, as well," Mon Mothma replied, gesturing slightly with one hand to include Bail Organa, Admiral Ackbar, and the others in her statement.

Again, Vader glanced at his wife before continuing. Mara noted that Padmé's face was a vaguely pleasant but inscrutable mask, a practiced politician's expression designed to avoid giving anything away. Through the Force, however, Mara could sense that Luke's mother was just troubled as her estranged husband, watching him closely to see if she could tell what he was really thinking.

Their situation was one Mara still found odd; from Padmé's perspective, she had only the day before seen the man she loved turn into someone she did not know, a Sith Lord and creature of the Dark Side, and now was trying to understand a world that was twenty-three years beyond the one with which she was familiar. From Vader's perspective, he had been parted from the woman he loved for more than twenty years, had gone to unbelievable lengths to get her back, only to have her reject him. And now he had to move on, to move past his grief and hurt to accomplish the other goals toward which he had been working for half a lifetime.

Having known him her entire life, Mara was impressed that Vader could sit here and talk civilly with his greatest enemies; his control over himself was much greater than she had supposed, given some of his past displays of temper.

"I see no reason not to immediately open negotiations for a more permanent truce," Vader said, glancing over at Malysa, who handed him one of the datapads in front of her. "I am willing to grant your movement a small section of territory in which to set up your own government, the borders of which will be decided at a later date."

"Thank you, Lord Vader," said Mon Mothma. She was about to continue, but Vader interrupted.

"However," he said, raising a hand to point at the Alliance delegation with one gloved finger, "there are terms. I will not relinquish my position as leader of the Imperial military, nor will I decrease the size of my forces. The Alliance will remain within its borders and will cease activity within the borders of the Empire. Once treaty negotiations are concluded, no further agitation of my subjects will be tolerated."

Mara inwardly winced. _Not the best start to peace talks_, she sent to Luke.

His expression also did not change, but he was having the same reaction. _No,_ he replied. _But at least he's trying._

* * *

On Coruscant, Sate Pestage stared at the dispatch like it was a serpent about to plunge its fangs into his hand.

"_Cease-fire?_" he said incredulously. "What is he thinking?"

But his empty office had no answer.

On the one hand, any end to this horridly expensive war was of course excellent news, but if it was _Vader_ who initiated negotiations, after years of the Senate decrying his brutal methods, public opinion would sway back in his favor.

And Sate just couldn't have that. He had worked too hard to quietly vilify Vader among the politicians, to seem the reasonable one holding the homicidal Emperor in check, for all that work to be undone by Vader suddenly deciding to use something other than violence to solve his problems.

He would have to move quickly.

Luckily, Nova was marshaling Isard's supporters among the military to go and attack Vader at Naboo. If the universe had any sense of justice, the two Sith Lords would destroy each other, leaving the throne empty for Sate to ascend it.

But for now, he would just have to wait and observe, to see what happened so that he could plan his next move.

* * *

Leia leaned back in one of the plush, comfortable chairs in her guest quarters in the Royal Palace on Naboo, her fingers on her temples in a vain attempt to massage away her growing headache.

"I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that Vader is actually willing to negotiate," she said to Han, who flopped onto a couch next to her, just as tired as she was.

"If you can call it that," Han scoffed. "Not one for diplomatic niceties, is he?"

Leia gave him a tired, wry smile. "In other breaking news, Wookiees are hairy and Hutts have an over-developed sense of entitlement."

Han chuckled, reaching over to pat her hand.

Leia gave a light laugh, herself, before her smile slowly faded. "It's a miracle we're actually getting anywhere with him; I think he's only negotiating because my mother's there."

"What's a miracle is that he didn't blow the Alliance leaders out of the sky when they came in for a landing," said Han. "Still, progress is progress, I suppose."

The comm mounted on one wall of Leia's quarters flared to life suddenly, displaying the face of her brother, his expression troubled. "_Han, Leia, you'd better come to the conference room_," he said.

"What's going on?" Han said, sitting up.

"_An Imperial fleet just arrived in the system_," Luke replied. "_A big one._"

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to Silverwolf05 and Desteni for beta reading, and also to all readers and reviewers. The next chapter will be up the day after tomorrow.


	4. The Enemy of my Enemy

**Four**  
(The Enemy Of My Enemy)

"Communication from the Alliance flagship, sir," the comm officer announced.

"Put it through," said Piett.

A life-size hologram of Admiral Ackbar appeared a few steps away from Piett on the command walkway. "_What is the meaning of this?_" the alien demanded indignantly.

Grand Admiral Thrawn approached, stopping next to Piett. "Is there a problem, Admiral?" he asked.

"_An Imperial battle group just dropped out of hyperspace on the edge of the system!_" Ackbar exclaimed. "_My sensor officers count over fifty ships, including at least one Super Star Destroyer! Why have you summoned additional battleships?"_

Thrawn's blue-black brows drew together. "We have called for no reinforcements, Admiral," he said. "We are just as committed to this conference as you."

Ackbar's image turned to the side as information was relayed to him on his own bridge. "_Our patrol craft are being fired upon!_" He turned back to Piett and Thrawn. "_Imperial treachery! You have violated the cease-fire!"_ He half-turned to shout orders. "_All craft, battle formations! Prepare to engage the _Executor_!_"

Thrawn took a step forward. "Admiral!"

But Ackbar cut the transmission.

"Did we summon reinforcements, sir?" Piett asked.

"No," said Thrawn, his eyes narrowing as he crossed to the tactical display screen. "Those ships are not acting on my orders."

Piett joined him, studying the sensor profiles of the incoming Imperial ships as they were relayed in by the outer-system sensor drones. He raised a hand to point at the largest vessel. "That's Director Isard's personal ship, the _Lusankya_," Piett said.

Thrawn swiftly turned to the crew pit. "Are the incoming ships making any transmissions to the Rebels?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the comm officer reported. "Patching it through."

The tactical display screen switched over to display the transmission. "_This is Darth Nova,_" the dark-haired young man on screen declared. "_If your ships do not stand down and deactivate their weapons systems immediately, I will order my fleet to destroy you."_

The screen split, half of it displaying the face of Admiral Ackbar. "_We are here under a declaration of cease-fire by the Emperor himself for diplomatic negotiations. Your request is illegal and in violation of the Emperor's declaration."_

Darth Nova smirked sardonically. "_I am afraid you are mistaken,_" he replied. "_Lord Vader's declaration is no longer valid. He has been removed as Emperor for dereliction of his duties."_ He leaned closer, displaying his teeth in a fierce grin._ "I am the Emperor now._"

Piett turned wide eyes upon his commanding officer. "What's going on here?"

Thrawn's eyes narrowed dangerously. "A mutiny, Admiral," he said, genuine anger in his voice.

The Grand Admiral did not hesitate for even a moment before issuing his next orders. "Inform Lord Vader of this, if he does not already know," he barked to the comm officer. He turned next to the tactical station. "Reprogram the computer; all Alliance vessels are to be re-designated as 'friendly' units, while every ship in the mutineers' fleet is to be immediately designated 'hostile'."

The tactical officer blinked in surprise, but quickly bent to his task.

"Sir?" Piett said in shock.

Thrawn pointed at the screen beside them, which had switched back to the tactical display. "Darth Nova is here to depose Lord Vader, Admiral," he said quickly. "His only intentions here can be assassination of the Emperor and destruction of this vessel. Therefore, the Rebel forces are the only defense we have in addition to the flagship. Signal Admiral Ackbar immediately to let him know that this attack is not sanctioned by either Lord Vader or myself, and that the _Executor_ will be joining the fight on their side."

"Shall we summon reinforcements, sir?" Piett asked.

Thrawn shook his head. "Unfortunately, Admiral, we do not know who we can trust among our own fleet right now. For Nova to gather a fleet of that size for this strike, he had to have been planning this for months at least. Besides, the nearest battle group is more than twelve hours away." He took a few steps along the command walkway. "For now at least, the Rebels are the only allies we have here."

"I never thought I'd hear that," Piett muttered to himself. Only when one corner of Thrawn's mouth quirked in a small, grim smile did he realize he'd said it out loud.

* * *

Luke Skywalker could feel the fury rolling off of his father in waves as the news was relayed to the conference room, where the delegations from both sides had gathered. At his side, Malysa Kolos stared in shock at the screen, and even a few of the stormtroopers and Royal Guards, though their faces were hidden by their helmets, were obviously going through the same reaction.

The Alliance delegation was no less surprised; the room was completely silent as they watched Darth Nova demand the surrender of not only Admiral Ackbar and the Rebel fleet, but the _Executor_ as well.

A comm transmission came into the conference room in the Royal Palace, and Vader quickly ordered it to be let through. Grand Admiral Thrawn's face and the white shoulders of his uniform replaced Darth Nova and Ackbar on the screen.

"_My lord, the flagship is at battle readiness. I have taken the liberty of ordering Nova's ships designated 'hostile' in our tactical computers, and-"_

Vader cut him off with an impatient wave of his hand. "Yes, go!" he shouted. "Attack him!"

Mon Mothma spoke up from the other side of the table. "Grand Admiral, I will relay to our fleet that the _Executor_ is to be designated 'friendly' in our own computers."

"Never thought I'd hear that," Han Solo muttered next to Luke.

On the screen, Thrawn nodded once and ended the transmission.

Vader's fists were clenched so tightly that Luke could hear the servomotors in his father's mechanical hand whining under the strain. His natural eye was turning a very odd color, a mottled combination of blue and yellow as his anger surged up within him, bringing the Dark Side with it.

"So what are we going to do?" Mara said to Luke.

Vader answered for him. "We will take the Corellian's freighter, since it is the most heavily armed and maneuverable vessel down here on the surface, and we will go to Nova's flagship, where we will board it and I will kill him myself."

"Whoa, now!" Han objected. "You're not taking my ship anywhere without me!"

Vader turned a venomous look upon the smuggler. "I am not asking, Captain Solo," he said dangerously. "You may pilot your vessel if you wish, but you _will_ take me to my apprentice."

Han took a step back from the sheer fury in the Sith Master's glare. "If you insist," he said.

Any further discussion was interrupted by the comm screen flaring to life again, this time displaying the face of Darth Nova, smiling arrogantly. "_The time has come, Lord Vader,_" he said triumphantly, "_for the Apprentice to overthrow the Master, as it has always been with the true Sith. If you surrender yourself to me, I will spare your crew, your children, and the people of this insignificant little world. If you refuse, I will ignite this system's sun into supernova and destroy you all."_

Luke sensed his father's rage flare up at this, accompanied by calculation as the Sith Master quickly formulated a new plan.

"Are you too much of a weakling to face me yourself?" Vader challenged, glaring up at the screen. "Are you so assured of your own inferiority that you must come here with overwhelming force?" Vader sneered. "For all your posturing, I can tell you are still afraid of me!"

"_I do not fear you!_" Nova shouted, leaning closer. "_I merely assure my own victory, as a true Sith would!_"

"If you were a true Sith," Vader said derisively, "you would face me in single combat to prove which of us is worthy of the mantle of Sith Master, instead of launching this cowardly ambush."

Luke waited for a tense moment, seeing how Nova would respond to his father's taunt.

"_Very well, old man!_" Nova snarled. "_I will descend to the surface and eradicate you myself!"_

"No," Vader replied. "Not here. I will not risk this world against your treachery."

"_Where, then? Aboard your ship?"_

"We will go to the world of Korriban," said Vader. "And there we will settle your challenge in the way of the ancient Sith Lords."

Nova grinned savagely. "_So be it!_" He raised a hand to point at Vader. "_I will have my personal ship accompany your shuttle there, to ensure that you do not flee._"

Vader said nothing in reply, and terminated the connection by forcibly overloading the transmitter with the Force. A number of stormtroopers and Alliance soldiers scrambled back away from the screen as it shot sparks in all directions. When Vader turned away from the pyrotechnic display, Luke saw that his natural eye was entirely yellow now, rimmed with red.

"Ready my shuttle!" Vader barked at one of his aides, who immediately rushed off to obey.

"I'm going with you," Luke said, moving towards his father.

Mara stepped up next to him. "And if he's going, so am I." Her tone left no room for argument.

"I will stand with you, as well, Lord Vader," said Malysa Kolos. Her dark eyes flicked to Luke's for just a moment, accompanied by a sense of reassurance through the Force; she was going along more to fight at _his_ side than his father's, Luke sensed.

"This will be a battle between Nova and myself," Vader warned. "Any outside interference is forbidden."

Mara snorted derisively. "He showed up here with fifty ships, planning to kill you from orbit," she said. "Do you really think Nova isn't going to bring a few friends of his own?"

One of the stormtroopers approached and saluted. "I also request to join your honor guard, Lord Vader," the man said, his voice filtered and rendered flat by his helmet.

Vader peered curiously at the man. "What is your designation, trooper?"

"TK-421, sir," the stormtrooper replied.

Vader's eyes flicked between the stormtrooper and Malysa Kolos, though it was so quick Luke almost didn't catch it. He wondered at the significance of this.

"Very well," the Sith Master replied.

Vader glanced at Leia, but did not ask if she wanted to go along as well. Leia looked back at him, and stirred as if she was about to say something, but Vader spoke first. "Stay here and keep your mother safe," he said. "Please," he added as a reluctant afterthought.

Leia nodded silently in reply.

"I will leave immediately," Vader stated with finality, turning to head down to the hangar level. Luke saw him pause to glance once at Padmé, but he said nothing further before leaving the room.

She watched him go, looking like she wanted to call out after him, but she hesitated, and remained silent.

"You don't have to do this, kid," Han said, stepping half in front of him. "You oughta just let him go alone."

Luke shook his head. "I can't do that, Han," he said solemnly. "There is still good in him, and I know I can bring it out. If he fights Nova alone, he will only fall further into darkness. If I'm there with him, there's still a chance I can save him."

"What if he's not _worth_ saving?" Bail Organa demanded exasperatedly from across the table.

Luke looked over at him. "Everyone is worth saving," he said seriously. "Even him."

With that, he turned and left the room, following his father.

* * *

Piett approached Thrawn at the tactical station. "Lord Vader and Nova have agreed on terms," he announced, relaying what he had just been told by the comm officer. "Both fleets will remain here while the two of them go to a world called Korriban for some sort of ritual combat."

"Korriban?" Thrawn said curiously. "That was the capital of the ancient Sith Empire. Has he asked us to dispatch any ships to go with him?"

Piett shook his head. "No. The terms are that only one shuttle each will go to Korriban, with no others but the observers accompanying them. Both fleets will remain here for the time being to await the outcome."

"Ritual combat," said Thrawn, his expression one of mild distaste. "How uncivilized."

Piett nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir." He paused. "There was one other thing in Lord Vader's communiqué, sir. He said to tell you that if he does not return, you are to take the _Executor_ to somewhere called 'Vanguard Base Alpha' and assume command of the operations there."

Piett almost didn't notice the nearly imperceptible tightening of Thrawn's face at this. "Were there any further instructions?" the Grand Admiral asked calmly.

"No, sir."

Thrawn nodded once. "Very well. Maintain full battle alert until further notice."

* * *

When Luke entered the Royal Palace's starship hangar, he found C-3PO and R2-D2 waiting for him next to Darth Vader's massive gray shuttle. The grim Imperial ship seemed out of place here among the softer lines and colors of the Royal Palace's architecture, and was especially contrasted with the elegant silver ship parked on the other side of the hangar, the one belonging to the Queen.

"We wish to accompany you, Master Luke," said Threepio. "Well, Artoo does at least. I accessed the files on Korriban, and it sounds like a ghastly place. Are you certain you want to go there?"

Luke smiled at the droids. "Yes, Threepio, I'm sure," he said. "This is something I have to do."

Artoo twittered, and the golden protocol droid translated for his shorter, barrel-shaped companion. "Artoo says that he wishes to accompany his master," said Threepio. "Both of them." The taller droid turned to his squat counterpart. "What do you mean, 'both of them'?" he asked. "Mistress Leia certainly isn't coming with us. _She_ has the good sense to stay here where it's safe."

"Artoo can come," Darth Vader said from the top of his shuttle's ramp. "The protocol droid stays here."

Threepio took a step back, away from the Dark Lord. "Oh, my!" he exclaimed.

Vader merely glanced at Threepio for a moment before he turned his attention to his son. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," said Mara, walking up beside Luke to look up at her former master.

Luke ran an amused eye over the array of weapons Mara was either wearing or carrying. "We're going to Korriban to observe a duel, Mara," he said, "not occupy the planet."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Sith Lords," she said in explanation, tapping a bandolier of thermal detonators. "Tell me I'm being too cautious."

Luke had to smile. "Yeah, you're right. Is it too late to call Han and ask to borrow one of the _Falcon_'s turrets?" he asked teasingly.

Mara grinned back. "If you think you can weld it on here fast enough, sure."

"If you two are finished," Malysa Kolos said with a smirk as she passed them on her way up the ramp, "we're ready to go."

Luke gestured up the ramp. "After you," he said.

Mara leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're such a gentleman," she said, green eyes twinkling. Luke replied with an exaggeratedly formal bow as he followed her.

Artoo twittered amusedly as he trundled up the ramp after them.

"Please be careful!" Threepio called as the ramp began to raise.

The golden protocol droid seemed so forlorn as he watched them go that all trace of humor vanished from Luke's mind. He did not know what he would find on Korriban, or even if he would return from that place himself, but he knew he had to go along.

If his father fell in his duel with Darth Nova, Luke privately resolved as he took his seat, he would himself engage the Starkiller. Darth Nova could not be allowed to leave Korriban alive, could not be allowed to seize control of the Empire, for even though Darth Vader was considered a tyrant, his Sith Apprentice would be far worse. Of that, Luke was sure.

As if she had sensed his thoughts, Mara reached over and touched his arm. He sensed a similar determination from her, a silent reassurance that she would fight by his side if it came to that.

* * *

In the cavernous hangar deck of _Lusankya_, Darth Nova stood in front of Director Isard to issue some last-minute instructions. He watched as Tamith Kai and more than thirty of his most loyal followers boarded the shuttle he was taking to Korriban. No matter what the outcome of the duel, Darth Vader was not leaving the ancient Sith world alive. Of that, Nova would make sure.

"Wait two hours after our shuttles have left the system," Nova said to Isard. "Then order the fleet to destroy the Rebels and the _Executor_. Raze the planet, as well."

"Are you certain it is wise to destroy Naboo?" Isard asked. "It will gain us nothing."

"It will gain us _fear_," Nova replied. "Fear of your wrath keeps those inferior to you submissive. I would think you already knew this, Madam Director." He turned back to watching his black-robed disciples board the vessel. "The people of this galaxy have become far too bold in speaking out against their rightful government. Perhaps an example will show them the error of their ways."

Isard nodded once. "Very well," she said.

Nova turned to face her again. "I am not taking _all_ of my followers," he said warningly. "The Sith remaining on this ship will see to it that my orders are carried out."

Isard narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, only inclining her head in acquiescence.

Aboard his shuttle, Nova sat back in his chair and smiled in satisfaction. After the events of today, he would be uncontested as Emperor, and the galaxy would be his to shape according to his own whims.

* * *

Rumors quickly filtered through the royal city of Theed that Padmé Naberrie, who had once ruled the planet as Queen Amidala and then later served it as a Senator, had been seen in the royal palace, having been returned to life by some mysterious Jedi ritual. As the rumors grew and spread, it was widely said that Luke Skywalker had been the one to do it, though no one had a clear explanation as to why. This of course only fueled speculation, which grew ever more wild and fanciful as the rumors spread.

After the short-lived negotiations between the Alliance and the Empire adjourned, the reigning Queen, Kylantha, asked to meet with the woman rumored to be one of her predecessors, in order to confirm or deny the rumors.

Leia and her mother met with the Queen in the throne room of the Royal Palace, where the tall, elegant woman was waiting. Kylantha's clothes were reserved and dark-colored, as a show of protest to the Empire's occupation of her world, and her long blonde hair was also styled conservatively, as opposed to some of the more colorful and ornate fashions sported by other Queens in the past.

As they walked along the wide, expansive hall, with its soaring ceilings and slender stone columns, Leia noticed that her mother seemed to be trying to see what had changed since she had last walked these halls herself.

"It doesn't seem all that different," she remarked to Leia.

"Emperor Skywalker has left Naboo mostly undisturbed during his reign," Queen Kylantha said as the other two women approached. "Until his arrival several days ago, we had never seen Star Destroyers in orbit above our world or soldiers in our streets." She looked for a long moment at Padmé. "Is it really you, Your Excellency?"

"I suppose I'm no longer a Senator," said Padmé. "There's no need for formal titles." She stopped next to one of the chairs in front of the throne. "Yes, I really am Padmé Amidala," she said. "I do not fully understand it myself, but I have been brought back to life with the Force."

The Queen was speechless for a long moment. Finally, she composed herself. "May I release a public statement?" she asked. "The people are very curious about the events in your mausoleum, and I would like to inform them of the truth, if they will believe it."

Padmé nodded once. "Of course. However, I would like to visit my family first, while I am here."

"Certainly," the Queen replied. "I believe your parents and your sister still live here, though your niece Pooja, who serves as our Senator, is currently off-world."

"Pooja's the Senator now?" Padmé said with a smile. "I'm very glad to hear that."

Leia watched her mother's expression, wondering to herself what it must be like to come back to the world after more than twenty years away from it. It must seem like an overwhelming change, though Leia knew Padmé had witnessed the birth of the Empire, and so would have known what was coming. What would the galaxy be like, Leia wondered, if her father had listened to her mother instead of to Palpatine? What would the galaxy be like if Anakin Skywalker had never fallen to the Dark Side, if he had instead left with his wife to raise his children?

What would the galaxy be like if her father had had more concern for others than for himself, as the Jedi were supposed to?

What would life have been like for her and Luke if they had grown up with their parents on a world like this?

Leia's thoughts and her mother's conversation with the Queen were interrupted by an aide who rushed into the throne room, out of breath.

"Your Highness!" the young man called. "The ships in orbit are firing at each other!"

Leia and Padmé jumped to their feet, followed immediately by the Queen.

"Troop transports are on their way down!" the aide went on. "The Imperials are landing dozens of ships all over the city!"

"Which ship did they launch from?" Padmé asked.

The young man stared at her in confusion. "Why does that matter?"

"Which ship?" Padmé repeated firmly.

"The other Super Star Destroyer," the aide replied. "The one that just arrived today, the _Lusankya_."

Padmé looked over at Leia, who looked back at her grimly. "It's an invasion," said Leia. "They're probably going to try and capture the Alliance leaders on the surface before they raze the city from orbit."

Queen Kylantha gasped. "Do you think they would really do such a thing?"

"Darth Vader might not have," Leia admitted, "but Darth Nova certainly will. He's much more aggressive than his master."

Padmé turned to the Queen. "This is very important," she said. "Tell the Security Force troops to carefully monitor any dropship landings. They must allow any vessels launched from the _Executor_ to land; Darth Vader's personal troops are on our side."

At the Queen's incredulous look, Padmé went on. "The other Imperial ships that arrived are mutineers," she explained. "Darth Vader's Sith Apprentice is trying to seize control of the Empire. For today at least, those aboard the flagship are our allies."

"Very well," said the Queen. "I will inform our troops, and I will also launch several squadrons of fighters to assist in the space battle." She turned to the aide. "Activate the planetary shields, as well."

The man rushed off to relay her orders.

Leia turned to leave, looking back at her mother. "We should get back to the others," she said. "If any Imperial troops make it to the surface, their first objective will be to destroy the shield generators. The Alliance troops here can help in the defense."

Padmé nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

As Darth Vader's shuttle hurtled through hyperspace toward Korriban, Luke mostly passed the time by meditating, trying to center himself in the Force before visiting a planet so strong in the Dark Side. Korriban had been a Sith world for millennia, though it had been mostly abandoned and desolate for the last several centuries.

Once, when he emerged from meditation, he found Malysa Kolos sitting cross-legged on the floor across from him, methodically disassembling her lightsaber. He was about to ask her what she was doing when he saw her carefully remove the red crystal from its mountings inside her weapon and set it aside. In its place, she set an azure-blue gem, and once it was connected, she smiled in satisfaction.

Malysa looked up at him, and Luke felt a light touch against his mind through the Force, a request to 'speak privately' as only Jedi could. He accepted, meeting her eyes.

_When all this is over, I would like to go with you_, Malysa 'said' inside his mind. _You intend to rebuild the Jedi Order, don't you?_

_I do,_ Luke replied. _You are most welcome to come with us._

_Thank you,_ she sent back. _You cannot imagine how much I want to get away from the Sith._

_I might have some perspective on that,_ Mara commented wryly, joining in.

Though her physical expression did not change, Malysa's sense in the Force shifted slightly into the mental equivalent of an ironic smile. _Perhaps you might._ She sobered. _What do you think we will find on Korriban?_ she asked.

_Evil_, Mara 'said' bluntly. _And plenty of it. I'd watch your step if I were you. The Sith left all kinds of nasty little surprises behind the last time they abandoned Korriban. Vader had me investigate the place once, but I didn't stay very long. All I found were bones and empty tombs, but there was a… presence there, one that let me know in no uncertain terms that I wasn't welcome._

_What kind of presence?_ Luke asked.

_I'm not sure,_ Mara replied. _I didn't stick around long enough to find out._ _But regardless of whatever else is there, both of you should stay ready for a fight. This is supposed to be just between Vader and Nova, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Nova has a backup plan in case he starts losing._

"We're coming up on the Horuset system," an Imperial trooper relayed back from the cockpit. "The pilot says we should be touching down on Korriban in two hours at the coordinates Lord Vader provided."

"Where's that?" asked Mara.

"A place called the Valley of the Dark Lords," the trooper replied.

Mara flicked a glance at Luke. "Well, doesn't that sound cheery?" she said dryly. "I'm starting to think we should have stayed on Naboo."

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: You know you're evil when _Ysanne Isard_ has to serve as the voice of reason in a conversation with you. ;) Major thanks to my beta readers, Silverwolf05 and Desteni, and also to all readers and reviewers. Starting Friday, my 'net access may be intermittent for a week or so, so it may be a bit longer between updates for a little while. I'll do my best to keep posting every other day, though. Thanks for reading!


	5. Duel of the Fates

**Five**  
(Duel of the Fates)

"We definitely should have stayed on Naboo," Mara announced as she descended the ramp of Darth Vader's shuttle onto the red dirt of Korriban.

Luke looked up at the dark, overcast sky and the forbidding red-orange cliffs surrounding them on all sides, and he agreed with her sentiment. The dry, dusty ground crunched beneath his boots as he walked further into the valley, and he smelled a bitter, coppery tang in the air, like long-dried blood. The very air around them seemed drained of light, until only a dim twilight eternally shrouded the planet, washing out all colors in a reddish tinge.

His hand strayed to his lightsaber reflexively; the air was thick here despite its dryness, thick with a fog of malice and congealed hate. This was an evil place, and it abhorred the light. He felt the pull, the siren song of the Dark Side very strongly here, as if it had permeated the very ground itself from millennia of Sith occupation.

Glancing to the side, he noticed Mara's hand rested on her hip near her own lightsaber. She had armed herself with only her Jedi weapon out of all the other weaponry she had brought aboard the shuttle, along with four thermal detonators clipped to the back of her belt, but she had made sure to leave her arsenal only a step from the top of the ramp.

In front of the shuttle, the valley floor was mostly smooth, though there were a number of fallen pillars from some long-destroyed structure, and a few that stubbornly remained standing. Statues were carved out of the cliff walls along the valley, each above the entrance to a tomb, but other than these there were no signs of civilization or habitation. Nothing alive had moved within this valley for a very long time.

However, that was all about to change today. Aside from Luke and Mara, six red-robed Royal Guards, their faces hidden by smooth, slit-visored helmets, assembled themselves outside the Emperor's shuttle, as well as a further honor guard of seven stormtroopers led by TK-421, who had volunteered his unit back on Naboo. Malysa Kolos moved to stand next to Luke and Mara, the slight breeze rippling her long black outer robe as it shifted the dust around her feet.

Last of all, Darth Vader descended the ramp, his blue mechanical eye glowing weirdly in the dim light as he looked back and forth across the Valley of the Dark Lords at the tombs of his ancient Sith predecessors.

At the far end of the valley, where the canyon wove its way back into a series of crumbling ruins, Darth Nova's shuttle sat black and silent. A large group of shadowed figures clustered around it, blurry and indistinct at this distance in the perpetual twilight.

Vader headed out across the valley floor toward his apprentice's group, several paces ahead of the rest of his own party, who followed, hands never far from their weapons.

A single dark figure broke off from the other group and approached, followed by the rest of them.

The two groups met in almost the exact center of the valley, among the fallen stone pillars. Vader and Nova kept walking forward until they stood only two meters apart, glaring at each other with equal measures of hate and anger.

As the two Sith Lords sized one another up in preparation for their confrontation, Luke looked at the large crowd of other Sith Nova had brought with him. All were young and all were human, none older than twenty-five, dressed almost identically in black robes that were dark echoes of what the Jedi had once worn. One tall, muscular young woman, however, wore a tight-fitting tunic of black-and-purple lizard skin with boots made of the same material, her long black hair bound up in braids to keep it out of her face.

Mara leaned over to him and murmured, "The Dathomiran is mine, if they attack; I know her from the Temple, and she's the biggest threat out of all of them besides Nova."

Luke silently counted the remaining Sith. "That leaves… twenty-nine for the rest of us. I don't know if I like those odds."

"Nobody ever said being a Jedi was easy," said Mara with a hint of a smile.

He replied with a tight smile of his own, one that was half dark humor and half determination.

"It's good that you brought your son here to witness your defeat," Nova said to Vader. "I'm going to enjoy breaking him after I kill you."

Vader said nothing, only fixing his treacherous apprentice with a stony glare. He silently drew his lightsaber and held it before him in both hands, though he did not yet ignite it.

"After I break your son," Nova continued, drawing his own lightsaber, "I'm going to bend your daughter to my will, as well. And then I will send your lovely wife back into her grave where she belongs, followed by everyone else on her planet."

The only response Vader made to Nova's taunts was to ignite his lightsaber, bathing his face in blood-red light.

Nova bared his teeth in a feral grin as he activated his own scarlet weapon and dropped into a ready stance. He paused for only a moment before he exploded into motion, whipping his lightsaber through a fast offensive pattern.

Vader met his advance calmly, shifting his own blade through an expertly executed defensive pattern that turned each strike aside. Whereas Nova leaped and spun, trying to overwhelm his teacher with sheer force and momentum, Vader exerted only a minimum of effort, remaining mostly still as he seemed to focus entirely on defense.

Luke watched this curiously, wondering what strategy his father was using here. Was he allowing the younger Sith Lord to expend all his energy in a furious attack at the beginning of the fight, saving his own energy for when he went on the offensive himself? Or did he have something else in mind?

Vader's reserve seemed only to enrage Nova further. "Fight back!" he shouted, savagely hacking at the Sith Master with his lightsaber.

But Vader only turned each strike aside, forcing his apprentice's blade away from himself without striking back. He seemed curiously detached, his expression a passive mask that revealed nothing of what thoughts worked beneath the surface.

Luke continued to watch the duel, perplexed. What was Vader doing?

* * *

"Our fighters have joined the Rebel squadrons, sir," Admiral Piett reported to Grand Admiral Thrawn. "Squadrons Three and Fifteen have taken up defensive position around the Alliance flagship, while Four and Twelve have taken position around the medical frigate. All other squadrons remain in position around the _Executor_."

Thrawn studied the tactical display beside him. "Our primary target should be the _Lusankya_," he said, indicating the other Super Star Destroyer. "Though it is not as heavily armed as the _Executor_, it poses the biggest threat out of all the ships in the mutineers' fleet."

Piett looked out of the bridge viewports at the storm of light raging outside. Never in his life would he have imagined that he would command the Emperor's flagship to fire upon other Imperial ships, or fight alongside people it had been his mission to destroy only days earlier.

"We're nearly in position, sir," one of the officers down in the starboard crew pit reported.

"All batteries fire at designated targets the moment we are in range," ordered Thrawn.

Piett watched as the mighty flagship settled into position and unleashed the awesome power of its weaponry. Every turbolaser emplacement on the _Executor_ opened fire simultaneously, a blinding rain of deadly light that surged out with all the force of a raging storm.

Moments later, nearly a dozen of the mutinous Imperial ships erupted with fire as the precisely aimed blasts impacted them in carefully calculated areas, exploiting weaknesses in the design and weak areas in the shields. Every one of the vessels was either destroyed or disabled; some drifted, venting atmosphere and gouts of flame from damaged systems, while others exploded spectacularly. The debris and shockwaves from the destroyed vessels damaged several more ships, which drifted out of control.

Thrawn calmly watched the carnage from his position next to the tactical display screen. "Move into position for the next fusillade," he ordered. "Target the _Lusankya_."

* * *

On the bridge of _Lusankya,_ Director Ysanne Isard watched in horror as nearly a dozen of the ships in her fleet were taken out of the fight in only a few seconds.

"How is that possible?" she demanded of Grand Admiral Natasia Vorlcan, the commander of her fleet.

"He knew exactly where to hit us," the older woman replied grimly, standing next to the tactical display screen. She pointed at the indicators for the disabled or destroyed ships. "Thrawn helped to design many of these classes," she said. "He knows which weaknesses to target."

"Then we need to get rid of him," Isard snapped. "Order all ships to concentrate fire on the _Executor_."

Grand Admiral Vorlcan pointed to the display screen. "The rest of our ships are engaged with the Rebels," she said. "If we are going to destroy the _Executor_, we are going to have to do it ourselves."

"_Executor_ is accelerating towards us!" one of the sensor officers reported. "They have achieved target lock!"

Isard stumbled into the wall next to her as the _Lusankya_ rocked with the impact of the _Executor_'s punishing volley. Sparks erupted from several of the bridge conduits as they overloaded with feedback from the damaged systems; one man dropped to the floor screaming when his station blew up in his face.

"All batteries, return fire!" Vorlcan shouted over the wailing alarms. "Target their bridge!"

* * *

Han Solo ran with blaster drawn through the halls of the Royal Palace, watching for the squad of Imperial saboteurs the Security Force reported had managed to land outside before the shields went up.

He turned to the massive shaggy figure running alongside him. "You smell anything?" he asked.

Chewbacca growled that he did not, but kept his bowcaster in a ready position.

A mixed group of stormtroopers and Alliance soldiers accompanied them, eyeing one another suspiciously but still grudgingly working together against the greater threat. Three Security Force officers also came with them, ones who often patrolled this section of the palace and knew its layout well.

"You hearing any comm chatter?" Han asked one of the stormtroopers.

"Negative, sir," the trooper replied. "They're using a different frequency. I've ordered my men to scan for it, but so far we haven't heard anything."

"All right, let me know when you do," Han said, glancing down a side corridor. He saw nothing, so they moved on.

Chewbacca suddenly halted, taking several deep sniffs before he growled that he smelled something that didn't belong.

"You wanna tell me what that is, exactly?" Han asked quietly, gesturing for the other soldiers to halt.

The big Wookiee clarified.

Han made a face. "Garbage? What do you mean, you smell garbage?"

Chewie gestured at a side passage up ahead, repeating that he smelled garbage in that direction.

One of the Naboo Security Force officers came forward. "The waste disposal chute is down that corridor, sir. But the hatch is specially designed so that nothing can come back up the chute. Especially the, er, smell."

Han frowned. "Now _I'm_ starting to smell it." He turned to look at Chewbacca. "Betcha that's how they got in. You think you can follow 'em?"

Chewbacca barked an affirmative, wrinkling his nose.

Han raised his blaster. "Let's go, then."

* * *

In the Valley of the Dark Lords, Luke watched as Vader continued to fend off Nova's onslaught without striking back. The dirt shifted under their black boots as Vader turned, always keeping his scarlet lightsaber between himself and his murderous apprentice.

Nova was visibly enraged, becoming more and more furious at being merely held back by the patient Vader. His attacks became more and more frenzied, his yellow eyes now glowing so strongly with the Dark Side that Luke could see them even from this far away.

The Starkiller scrambled up on top of one of the fallen pillars to launch himself in a leaping slash at the older Dark Lord, both hands on his lightsaber as he raised it above his head.

This was the moment Darth Vader chose to strike.

The instant that Nova's feet left the pillar, Vader took his left hand off the hilt of his lightsaber and let loose a blindingly bright stream of Force Lightning, which crackled out to slam with thunderbolt force into Nova's chest.

Darth Nova tumbled backwards through the air, landing heavily against one of the still-standing pillars, and his lightsaber flew from his grasp. Vader jumped over in a Force-assisted leap, his lightsaber screaming down to slash completely through the pillar. It crashed heavily to the red ground, nearly crushing the younger Sith Lord.

Nova rolled aside, calling his lightsaber to him, but Vader was still on the offensive, and now it was the Starkiller's turn to shift into pure defense. Vader forced him backwards with wide, sweeping slashes that sliced great gouges out of the pillars around them, smashing his apprentice's blade aside with sheer brute force.

More Force Lightning lit up the dim valley, flashing out in a crackling stream from Nova's hand, but Vader deflected it aside, where it completely uprooted one of the crumbling pillars from the ground and sent it crashing to the valley floor.

Before it rolled to a stop, though, Vader seized it with the Force and sent it sailing like a battering ram at Nova. The younger Sith frantically sliced it into pieces with his lightsaber, but Vader took advantage of this to turn one weapon into many.

Darth Vader stood in the center of a whirlwind of dust and debris, ruthlessly pelting his treacherous apprentice with missile after missile. Nova's lightsaber was a glowing red blur as he frantically tried to deflect all of the careening stone fragments, but Luke could hear from his increasingly furious cries of pain that some of them were getting through.

Raising his lightsaber like a primitive shaman's staff, Vader continued to hurl a storm of stone at Darth Nova, but from his other hand he added another ingredient to the vengeful mixture; he loosed a powerful blast of Force Lightning into the cloud of debris, scattering the bolts so that they charged some of the fragments that had a high metal content and deflected off of others.

Nova, wreathed in crackling light, screamed in pain and rage. Everything around him came to a sudden halt, as if time itself had frozen, before all the debris rocketed outward away from him in a shockwave, driven by a powerful concussive blast. Everyone and everything within range was knocked flat or sprawling. Luke himself tumbled backwards, striking his shoulder sharply on a fragmented pillar. He heard Mara's grunt of pain as she, too, hit or was hit by something.

Luke blinked away his disorientation as he raised his head to see Nova alone standing out of the crowd of people gathered on the valley floor. Even Vader had been knocked off his feet, though he was swiftly rising even then.

The Starkiller, breathing heavily, ignited his lightsaber again. "_Kill them all!_" he screamed.

Luke heard a _snap-hiss_ beside him as Mara activated her magenta lightsaber, still crouching. On his other side, another Jedi weapon ignited, and Luke glanced over to see Malysa Kolos with a shaft of azure light in one hand, tossing her long black robe aside with the other.

Behind Nova, thirty more lightsabers blazed into being, every one of them as blood-red as his own. The Sith gathered themselves into a line formation, preparing to charge.

Luke removed his own dark brown outer robe as he got to his feet, tossing it over to where Malysa's cloak lay in the rust-colored dirt. He pulled the Force to himself in a rushing tide, breathing deeply as he pulled his own lightsaber from his belt and ignited its emerald blade.

He worked to purge any trace of the darkness from himself, drawing only upon the light. If he allowed his anger to control him here, Luke knew, allowed it to goad him into drawing upon the Dark Side, he would tumble into an abyss from which he would never emerge, at least not as himself.

Nova raised his lightsaber high over his head, as if straining to impale the sky upon his blade, and then swept it down like a burning guillotine. He and the thirty Sith charged forward, intent upon their targets.

Luke shifted his feet in the dust, anchoring himself, and dropped his lightsaber into a guard position, waiting until the first of the Sith reached him.

But suddenly, a blizzard of deadly coherent light rushed out from behind him as TK-421 and the other stormtroopers opened fire, their rifles on full automatic. Luke glanced back to see two of the Royal Guards emerging from the shuttle, loaded down with other weapons from Mara's arsenal and the stockpile already aboard the Emperor's shuttle. They tossed heavy blaster rifles to their comrades, who joined in on the fusillade as soon as the weapons entered their gloved hands.

The majority of the Sith blocked the incoming blaster bolts, but several of them fell, crying out as their lightsabers slipped from suddenly nerveless fingers, blistered and burned from dozens of blaster wounds.

The Dathomiran warrior Tamith Kai headed straight for Mara, shifting her lightsaber from hand to hand as she whirled it through a dazzling, complicated pattern, her wine-dark lips pulled back away from her teeth in a feral, predatory grin. Mara braced her legs, angling her lightsaber as she awaited her opponent.

A crackling storm of Force Lightning arced out in the direction of the stormtroopers and Royal Guards, sent by several of the Sith who worked together to combine their power. Luke thrust out his hand and sent a wave of power to deflect the lightning away from the Imperial troopers, but two of the men were still struck by fleeting fingers of crackling light.

The stormtrooper cried out and slumped over, but the Royal Guard weathered the assault stoically, straightening once the lightning was gone to fire another sustained burst from his blaster rifle at the group of Sith who had sent the blast. Though obviously in pain, the man kept firing until another Sith leaped over and savagely cut him down with her lightsaber. His last bolt, though, went straight through her heart; she collapsed to the ground even as she finished her killing strike.

Luke himself could not help, beset with three Sith at once. His shining green blade danced through a spinning defensive pattern, deflecting or blocking the repeated strikes of his attackers, while his mental defenses were pushed to the brink by another form of assault.

The young Jedi did not hesitate as he saw an opening one of his attackers had inadvertently left him; he ducked under the swings of the other two Sith to dive into a forward roll. He emerged from his roll with his lightsaber in perfect position, and as he straightened, his lightsaber speared through the third Sith's heart.

Before the body had even hit the ground, Luke went on the offensive, crashing his blade against those of the other two Sith before he twisted the point around one of the other dark young men's lightsaber and through his heart, as well.

The remaining Sith stretched out his hand and blasted Luke with a twisting rope of orange energy, one that seemed to sap the strength from his limbs wherever it touched. Luke cried out, angling his lightsaber to catch part of the coil of energy, but even as he did so, a shaft of blue light erupted from the center of his opponent's chest.

Luke nodded his thanks to Malysa as the Sith crumpled to the ground, but as he saw another Sith approaching from behind her, he hurled his lightsaber over her shoulder like a javelin.

As soon as the mortal blow had been struck, he pulled the lightsaber back to him with the Force, and the cool metal grip slapped into his palm even before the body slumped to its knees.

Malysa nodded her thanks in return, bringing up her own lightsaber.

Side by side, they charged into the ranks of the enemy.

* * *

"Bridge deflectors at maximum!" Piett shouted as he saw the incoming barrage from _Lusankya_'s guns.

In the crew pits below, officers scrambled to obey, frantically adjusting controls.

Piett braced himself, but as he watched, the storm of green fire flashed against an invisible barrier several meters away from the expansive bridge viewports. The shields flickered and strained, but held; not one bolt got through.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn to all squadrons," the white-uniformed commander said from the comm station. "Designate _Lusankya_ as primary target." He reached down and touched another button. "All batteries, return fire. Target _their_ bridge."

Piett watched the battle outside and listened to the chatter on the bridge, waiting to issue his next orders.

"Damage control team to deck Thirteen, section Gamma," one of the other officers ordered through his station.

"Squadron Nine, target main engines on _Tyrannic._"

"Hull breach on deck Twenty-Five, section Theta! All personnel, evacuate to surrounding sections and seal off the compartment!"

"Alliance cruiser _Emancipator_ is under heavy fire; Squadrons Two and Thirteen render assistance immediately."

"Peregrine _to_ Executor_," _Garm Bel Iblis' voice said over the command frequency. "_Target the following coordinates on _Lusankya_ and fire on my mark._"

"Do it!" Thrawn ordered, glancing at the coordinates. The fire control officer relayed the coordinates down to the gunners.

"_Fire!_"

Turbolasers on both the _Executor_ and Bel Iblis' Dreadnaught, _Peregrine_, opened fire on the _Lusankya_, concentrating fire approximately a kilometer forward of the bridge, and a moment later, a tremendous explosion burst out of the Super Star Destroyer in an eruption of flame and venting atmosphere. _Lusankya_ listed drunkenly to one side, but its guns continued firing as Isard attempted to pull it back from the line of fire.

"Home One _to_ Executor," Admiral Ackbar's gravelly voice said a moment later. "_We read six Star Destroyers approaching your position. We are rerouting four cruisers to render assistance._"

"Acknowledged, _Home One_," said Thrawn. He touched the intership comm again. "Batteries Nine-Five-Six through Twelve-One-Four, target incoming ships and fire at will." He peered at the tactical display and touched the button again. "Battery stations Eight-Three-Eight to Eight-Four-Seven, target the following coordinates on _Manticore_ and fire on my mark."

A few moments later, Thrawn gave the order to fire, and streams of punishing light lanced out from the _Executor_'s turbolaser batteries to collide with the _Manticore_. The bridge viewports automatically darkened as the smaller ship, its reactor pierced, exploded in a sun-bright fireball, sending debris in all directions. The _Basilisk_, too close to its sister ship, swayed out of control, its hull gouged in numerous places from the debris.

Almost as if Thrawn had calculated events to unfold in precisely this way, the out-of-control _Basilisk_ collided with the _Hydra_, and both ships erupted in two more tremendous explosions, flinging burning wreckage out into space.

Astonished, Piett glanced over at Thrawn, who had a small, satisfied smile on his face. When the explosion mostly cleared, he turned back to the tactical display.

* * *

As they neared the generator rooms for the shield protecting the Theed Royal Palace, Han Solo's squad of soldiers checked their weapons, keeping a wary eye out for the Imperial saboteurs they were following.

Chewbacca quietly growled that he could smell the traces of garbage still on the infiltrators' armor up ahead, and Han nodded, hefting his blaster rifle. He halted just outside the passage leading into the generator room, and with a series of quick, silent gestures, issued his orders to his squad. The varied troops replied with equally silent nods, raising their weapons to ready positions.

Han slowly edged around the corner, peering sidelong down the corridor to the generator room. At least three troopers in dark armor were moving around planting explosives, he saw. He pulled back and looked over at his troops.

Han jerked his head toward the corridor, silently issuing the order to charge.

He was the first around the corner, his rifle in firing position, followed closely by Chewbacca and two of the stormtroopers who were with them. All of them opened fire at the same time, catching the saboteurs by surprise, and all three of the visible troopers collapsed to the ground.

However, as Han learned shortly thereafter, the Imperial sabotage team consisted of far more than three members.

Dozens of blaster bolts streamed out at them from positions of cover scattered around the generator room, the sound of the discharges echoing from the cavernous walls.

Han frantically scrambled back, hissing in pain through gritted teeth as a bolt grazed his left arm before he could get behind cover.

Chewbacca howled angrily before he, too, joined Han around the corner. When the smuggler looked over at his partner, he saw that a sizable chunk of fur had been burned away on Chewie's chest, though it, too appeared to be only a graze. The Wookiee snarled a vile stream of profanity in his language containing several amusing anatomical impossibilities, assertions of inbreeding on the part of the enemy's ancestors, as well as questionable hygiene habits.

Despite the situation, Han had to chuckle at the sheer inventiveness of his friend's cursing. "You said it, Chewie!" Han shouted to him over the cacophony of screams and blaster fire. "Hold this position; I'm gonna call for reinforcements. We have to get them out of there before they can do any-"

He was interrupted by a deafening explosion from inside the generator room, which hurled flames and debris down the corridor to where they and their remaining troops crouched around the corners.

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Han remarked to Chewbacca.

Another, louder explosion roared down the corridor a moment later, pelting them with chunks of stone.

"And that sounds even worse!" Han exclaimed. "What the hell are they doing in there?"

His question was answered by the ominous cracking and rumbling of shifting stone. He had time only to scream, "Look out!" and dive for cover before the ceiling and walls of the passage into the generator room collapsed down in a tidal wave of rubble.

Han waited for the debris to settle before he emerged from the alcove in the wall he had ducked into, sheltered behind a large marble statue. He frowned at the now-impenetrable corridor.

"Hey, you!" he shouted at one of the surviving Security Force officers. "Is there another way in there?"

The man, covered in stone dust and bleeding from several small wounds, nodded slowly. "Yes," he replied. "Come on, I'll show you!"

* * *

Mara Jade crossed blades with Tamith Kai, edging back a step to put distance between herself and her opponent before surging forward in a rapid offensive pattern. Their glowing, humming lightsabers collided five times in rapid succession before they locked, both women leaning forward to put their full weight into an attempt to force the other backward.

"I will… burn the skin… from your bones… centimeter… by centimeter… traitor!" the Dathomiran warrior snarled between clenched teeth, her voice strained with effort.

"That's… why I'm glad… I'm not a… Sith anymore," Mara replied, her voice equally as strained. "You all… talk too much!"

She suddenly shifted her weight to the side, causing Tamith Kai to stumble forward, unbalanced. Mara hooked her foot around the Sith woman's ankle and pulled, sending her sprawling to the dirt.

Mara raised her lightsaber for a strike, but Tamith Kai rolled over lightning-quick and sent a powerful Force push out at Mara, sending her flying backwards into a pillar. Mara's breath left her in a rush, mostly as a grunt of pain as she felt one of the ribs in her back crack from the impact.

She turned her landing into a roll to the side as she saw Tamith Kai leap over, her lightsaber extended for a decapitating slash. Mara clenched her teeth as her back screamed in protest, but she ignored the pain.

Igniting her lightsaber again, Mara sent out a Force push of her own at the leaping Dathomiran, shoving her backwards to land heavily on the ground beneath the closest standing pillar. She pulled the pillar over with the Force, trying to crush Tamith Kai, but the Sith woman rolled out of the way.

Tamith Kai placed her hands on the top of the newly fallen pillar and leaped over it, bringing both feet together for a solid kick that landed in the center of Mara's chest.

Mara collapsed backwards, crying out as her broken rib ground into her back as she landed, but she quickly hurled herself to the side as she heard the ominous humming of a descending lightsaber.

Before the Sith student behind her could pull his lightsaber from the ground, Mara seized him bodily with the Force and hurled him at Tamith Kai as a living missile. The black-robed young man smashed into the muscular warrior woman, knocking them both back over the fallen pillar.

Mara whipped her lightsaber behind her to block an incoming slash from another Sith student, and she and the pale-haired young woman exchanged a quick, vicious series of slashes before Mara seized her opponent's ankles with the Force and yanked the Sith off-balance, sweeping her lightsaber across her opponent's chest on the way down.

She glanced across the battlefield to see Luke and Malysa surrounded by a cluster of scarlet-bladed Sith, but before she could move to help them, a Royal Guard produced a grenade from beneath his robe and hurled it towards them.

Mara sent a flash of warning to Luke through the Force, and saw him duck down, pulling Malysa with him as he shielded them both with the Force. The grenade exploded as it landed among the Sith, sending them flying in all directions.

A few dozen meters away, the furiously sweeping lightsabers of Darth Nova and Darth Vader drew Mara's attention, crackling and sparking as they collided with tremendous fury again and again with superhuman speed.

The two Sith Lords drove each other around the battlefield in leaps and dodges, both of them now fully engaged in the duel. Vader's cloak had several holes and tattered slices hanging from the edges, and there was a large burn on his upper arm. Nova's dark uniform was burned and bloody in several places where Vader had slipped his blade through his apprentice's defenses a few times of his own.

Crackling surges of Force Lightning surged back and forth like a thunderstorm between them, lighting up the dim valley in a succession of flashes.

Mara returned to her own battle as she sensed Tamith Kai leaping toward her, blade outstretched like a ribbon of death.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: A cliffhanger? My, how unprecedented. ;) As always, big thanks to my beta readers and all reviewers. Chapter 6 will be up on Monday. Till then, thanks for reading!


	6. Eye of the Storm

**Six**  
(Eye of the Storm)

The Alliance had hastily converted one of the rooms in the Royal Palace to a war room when the attack began, from which to coordinate the defense of Theed and monitor the space battle overhead.

As Leia watched, the symbol on the tactical display indicating one of the Alliance frigates flickered and disappeared under a volley from four surrounding Imperial vessels, but only moments later, one of those ships in turn was destroyed by _Executor_.

Under Grand Admiral Thrawn's direction, the Emperor's flagship swept through the battlefield like an unstoppable titan, its thousands of turbolaser batteries flashing green death in all directions. Despite being currently engaged in a running battle with the other Super Star Destroyer on the field, Director Isard's _Lusankya_, the _Executor_ still managed to come to the rescue of their allies for today, the Rebel fleet.

"_This is Commander Solo_," Han's voice suddenly said over the comm. "_My squad is in pursuit of a group of Imperial saboteurs we've located. We've been cut off from the main entrance to the shield generator room, but we're on our way to the secondary entrance now. We request any available troops to meet us there. Expect heavy resistance."_

Leia's hand brushed the lightsaber at her side. "I'm going," she said to the others gathered around the table in the middle of the war room.

"Be careful," said Padmé, looking across the table at her.

Leia nodded to her mother before she turned and left, jogging through the wide halls of the palace as she hurried for the shield generator room.

* * *

"_Lusankya_ is withdrawing," the officer at the tactical station reported to Piett and Thrawn. "Sensors indicate heavy damage."

"Are we able to monitor their comm frequency?" Thrawn asked.

The comm officer nodded. "Yes, sir. We cracked the encryption code a few minutes ago." He put his hand up to his ear and listened for a moment, then his face broke into a broad grin. "Grand Admiral Vorlcan was killed in our last barrage. Director Isard has taken command of the fleet, and is ordering a retreat."

Piett grinned himself, turning to his commander, but to his surprise, Thrawn was not smiling. Instead, he was frowning thoughtfully.

"Do not pursue," he said. "Relay to the Alliance vessels that they are also not to pursue. Let Isard's fleet go."

"Sir?" Piett asked curiously.

Thrawn looked over at him. "Something is not right here, Admiral," he said. "Isard's fleet still outnumbers ours, but she is ordering a retreat. My supposition at this time is that she is withdrawing to request reinforcements from her allies among the rest of the Imperial military."

"That would be all the more reason to pursue, then, wouldn't it?" Piett asked, confused.

"No, Admiral," Thrawn replied. "We have taken heavy damage ourselves, and so have the Alliance ships. If Isard is retreating to make her own repairs and summon reinforcements, we must do the same."

"But this is the Rebels' entire fleet," Piett said, gesturing at the tactical display. "They have no reinforcements to call."

Thrawn smiled slightly. "But we do."

"With all due respect, sir," said Piett, "How can we know any Imperial ships we call here won't turn on us, as well? We have no idea how far Isard's conspiracy extends."

"True," Thrawn replied. "But I know of an Imperial fleet which is unquestionably loyal to us, to the Emperor himself and his cause, and would not be swayed by whatever promises or threats Isard has made to the rest of the Imperial command."

Piett furrowed his brow in confusion. "What fleet is that, sir?"

Thrawn did not answer. Instead, he said, "Admiral Piett, you have the bridge," and left.

* * *

In his office on Coruscant, Sate Pestage paced back and forth behind his desk. A flickering, blue-tinged hologram of Ysanne Isard watched him from half a galaxy away.

"_Have you made the declaration?_" Isard asked.

"Not yet," Sate answered. "I was waiting to hear the results of your little skirmish."

Isard's image scowled at him. "_Preserving your own hide, I see,_" she said sourly. _"If I lost the battle, you would still be able to salvage your own position with Vader_."

Sate made no attempt to apologize or deny her words. "One must always have a backup plan," he said. "Your contacting me to inform me of your retreat can only mean you have lost or are losing."

"_The battle here isn't over yet,_" snapped Isard. "_I've pulled the fleet back temporarily to make repairs. Our Interdictors are keeping Thrawn and the Rebels around the planet, though it doesn't look as though they were going to chase us, anyway."_

"Shall I send the other fleets?" Sate inquired.

Isard nodded. "_Everything we've got. When I go back, I want to finish Thrawn off for good."_

Sate nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will contact our commanders."

"_In the meantime_," Isard said, leaning forward slightly to emphasize her point, "_I have another task for you; it is high time for another purge._"

"Purge of what?" Sate asked, looking back at her curiously.

"_Of the Sith,_" Isard said. "_Palpatine was right to attempt to rid the galaxy of Force-users not under his own control. The Sith have caused us no end of trouble, and we are far better off without them. It is time for Order 66 to be executed once again._"

Sate nodded. "I agree."

"_Tomorrow,"_ said Isard,_ "assemble the Senate and announce Vader's removal as Emperor. Even if he does succeed at Korriban, I want him left with nothing to come back to._"

Sate walked back over to his desk. "I have the support of the majority of the Senate," he said. "The loyalists will resist, but they are outnumbered here. The motion will pass."

"_Relay the announcement here_," Isard said, turning her head to follow him. "_I estimate about a day for repairs while we wait for the rest of the fleet to arrive._" She smirked. "_Even if Thrawn gets the same amount of time, it won't do him any good_."

"One swift strike, then," Sate said. "Tomorrow morning, I will make the announcement as you launch the second wave of your attack. Vader's stranglehold on this galaxy will be broken forever."

"_And if Lord Nova is the one to return from Korriban,_" Isard said with a slow, nasty smile, _"I will make sure his reign as Emperor is short. Very short indeed."_

"All hail Empress Isard," Sate said with dark amusement.

* * *

Luke Skywalker angled his emerald lightsaber to catch an incoming overhand slash from a Sith, flexing his muscles to halt the scarlet blade's advance. With one hand, he held the Sith back, and with the other, sent out a powerful Force push, knocking the black-robed warrior backwards. While his opponent was off-balance, he swept in and cut him down.

Beside him, Malysa Kolos fought off her own opponent, her azure lightsaber sweeping through an intricate pattern that was simultaneously defensive and offensive. Their lightsabers crackled and hissed, sparks erupting from the blades every time they crashed together.

Luke saw an opening in Malysa's opponent's defense, and he slashed at the young man as he ran past, distracting him for a vital second. Behind the Sith, one of the stormtroopers drew a careful bead on Malysa's opponent and shot him in the back. The Sith cried out once, then slumped to the dry Korriban dirt.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause in combat, Luke surveyed the battlefield. Three of the white-armored stormtroopers and two of the red-robed Royal Guards had been killed, and lay motionless where they had fallen. By Luke's estimation, eighteen of the thirty Sith who had accompanied Darth Nova here were still alive and fighting; the others were all dead or dying.

Mara and the Dathomiran warrior Tamith Kai were still engaged in their heated duel, battering one another back and forth across the valley floor. Nearby, Darth Nova and Vader were also still fighting, their lightsabers whipping through attack patterns almost too fast to see. Luke felt the Dark Side roiling within both of them, sometimes spiking as they hurled lightning at one another or attempted other forms of assault through the Force.

Luke glanced back and forth between his father and Mara, debating which of them to assist.

At a tremendous creaking and groaning of metal, almost everyone on the battleground stopped to see what was making such a terrible racket. Luke looked over to see Darth Nova standing atop a pillar, yellow eyes glowing brightly, with one hand stretched out behind him. Vader stood on the ground below him, lightsaber raised in a defensive posture. The ragged remnants of his cloak stirred in the wind as Nova focused his power.

One of the other pillars leaped from the ground and came crashing down at Vader, but the Sith Master leaped aside, rolling once before leaping to his feet again and jumping atop one of the fallen pillars. Only then did Luke realize what the groaning metal had been; Vader had ripped one of the wings off of Nova's shuttle with the Force, and now he smashed it into his treacherous apprentice and the pillar upon which Nova was standing.

Luke saw Nova try to jump away, but the edge of the wing still clipped him, and he tumbled to the ground, his lightsaber skittering away through the dust.

Vader raised his lightsaber and charged in, but at the last second Nova seized a piece of stone debris with the Force and hurled it at Vader. The Sith Master dodged the chunk of debris, but the second of delay was enough for Nova to scramble backwards and roll to his feet again.

The dust around Nova stirred, shifting as he seized more debris with the Force, but with a deep, metallic groan, the entire shuttle lifted free of the ground and hurtled toward the younger Sith Lord.

Nova scrambled backwards, moving with Force-enhanced speed for the entrance of the ancient tomb behind him. But still the shuttle came, rushing in like an impacting meteor.

With a tremendous crash, the shuttle slammed into the cliff wall around the tomb's entrance, sending rock dust and other debris flying in all directions. The statue above the tomb's entrance cracked and splintered, then finally collapsed atop the wreck of the shuttle, burying it beneath a mound of jagged stone chunks.

Vader stood motionless for a moment, staring at the wreckage as the dust settled and the last of the stone fragments tumbled down. Then, so quickly he almost blurred, the Sith Master whirled and charged for the nearest of his former students, a dark-haired young man who still stood frozen with shock at the terrifying display of power.

The Sith Master cut him down without hesitation, whipping his lightsaber blade through the boy's neck as he ran past. Before the severed head had even hit the ground, Vader had already moved on to his next target.

The battlefield exploded into chaotic motion again as the remaining Sith turned almost as one and ran, fleeing from the whirlwind of death that was their former master as he ruthlessly punished them for their rebellion. Encouraged, the Imperial troopers fired after the retreating Sith, who scattered into the ruins at the end of the valley. Two more Sith fell beneath the orange storm of laser fire, while Vader hurled his lightsaber at the last one to enter the ruins.

The hurtling ruby blade speared the Sith student through the heart, and he cried out as he toppled backwards. Vader summoned his lightsaber back to himself with the Force, and once it blazed within his grip again, he stopped, staring after the fleeing enemies.

He turned to face the others, his natural eye a disturbing shade of yellow, but as he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, Vader's eye faded back to its natural blue.

"They will return," he said, his voice hoarse. "Their shuttle is destroyed; there is only one way off this planet now." He gestured toward his own shuttle.

Mara lightly jumped down from the pillar she had been standing on, deactivating her own weapon. "Is Nova dead?" she called over to her former master.

"No," Vader replied. "He still lives; I sense it. He is trapped inside the tomb, but he will cut himself free eventually."

"We should leave, then," said Luke. "We'll trap them here and come back with more troops to round them up later."

"No!" Vader shouted, his eye flashing yellow again for an instant. "This ends today. I am not leaving until Nova and his followers are all dead!"

"If we are not going to depart," TK-421 said, walking over to them with his blaster rifle held across his chest, "then I suggest we withdraw to another valley. The Sith are all on foot, my lord; they won't get far." The stormtrooper boldly approached the Emperor. "You need to rest, sir. We all do. Let us take advantage of this opportunity to recover before we start the final offensive."

"He's right," said Mara. "Nova isn't going anywhere, at least not right now."

Vader looked around at all of them, seeming like he was about to object, but before he said anything, his shoulders relaxed and he nodded once. "Very well," he said, gesturing off in the direction of his shuttle with one gloved hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Leia caught up with Han and his group shortly after they arrived at the secondary entrance to the palace's shield generator room, lightsaber in hand.

Han turned to look at her as she arrived, and his features brightened. "Good," he said. "They've fused this door shut; you can get us in."

Leia nodded, igniting her lightsaber. The soldiers of Han's squad moved aside as she angled the sapphire blade and thrust it up to the hilt at the edge of the door. The metal around her blade glowed orange as Leia quickly sliced through the barrier, severing the weld the Imperial saboteurs had put around the edge of the door.

"When it's open," Han said to his troops while Leia worked, "follow her through and shoot at anything that's shooting back. Stay together, and stay behind the lady with the lightsaber."

Chewbacca approached when Leia was almost through and held out two portable carry-handles, used to transport transparisteel panes. He growled his plan to her, gesturing to the door. Leia understood most of what the Wookiee said, and nodded as she completed the circle.

She finished cutting the door away and watched as Chewbacca quickly worked to attach the handles to the door. With a flex of his massive furry arms, the Wookiee shoved the metal door through the hole and held it up by the handles, providing a shield of sorts for their charge.

With Chewbacca holding the door on one side and Leia holding out her lightsaber on the other, Han's squad rushed into the generator room, blasters at the ready. The saboteurs fired down at them from their positions, but Leia swept out her lightsaber, intercepting the incoming bolts as quickly as she could. Some of the bolts just bounced away into the walls, but she was able to angle her blade to deflect some shots back at those who had fired them.

Other orange bolts of fire slammed into Chewbacca's improvised shield, but the metal door held. Han and his soldiers ducked behind the door as cover, then leaned out to fire at the saboteurs. Working as a team, the Alliance soldiers, stormtroopers, and Security Force officers quickly picked off most of the sabotage team, firing rapidly.

Han, looking over Leia's shoulder, spotted one of the saboteurs running along a catwalk above them at the same time she did. He let loose a stream of full automatic fire at the sprinting man, but the saboteur ducked and dodged, intent on his goal, a bomb he and his comrades had planted on one of the power relays to the generator.

With a sweep of her lightsaber, Leia caught an incoming bolt and, with the Force flowing through her, angled it up towards the running saboteur. The bolt caught him in the back, and he screamed as he toppled from the walkway to fall over the side.

"I think that's all of them," Han said, firing at the lone remaining commando. The black-armored Imperial slumped over his blaster rifle as one of Han's bolts hit him in the chest. Han looked over at Leia. "Are there any others?"

Leia let her eyes fall half-closed as she reached out with the Force, searching for any other saboteurs. For a moment, she only sensed the soldiers clustered behind her, but suddenly the Force surged in alarm. She thrust out her hand. "There!"

With a mighty roar of effort, Chewbacca hurled his shield at a commando that had been crouching on the catwalk above them. The huge metal door soared up in an almost graceful arc, and with a small nudge of the Force from Leia, slammed into the saboteur as he ran, smashing him off the walkway to topple into the cavernous shaft below them.

"That's all of them," Leia confirmed.

"All right, fan out," Han ordered. "I want all explosives accounted for. Hopefully, they were all wired to a remote detonator and none of these guys got the chance to push the button, but if anything's on a timer in here, I want to know about it." He turned to Leia. "You think you can disable these with the Force?"

She nodded. "I should be able to, yes."

He nodded back. "All right, let's get to work, then."

* * *

"You certainly are a bloody mess, Skywalker," Mara said amusedly as she pulled a bandage out of its plastic packaging.

Luke winced as he pulled his tunic the rest of the way off and part of the fabric stuck painfully to one of the cuts on his side. He'd managed to avoid any serious injuries, but a few of his opponents' strikes had made their way through his guard.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Luke replied teasingly, "there are more of them than there are of us. I didn't have the luxury of fighting just one opponent the entire time."

Mara held up her forearm, which sported a large white bandage of its own. "Hey, that woman's as much trouble as twenty Sith by herself. You wouldn't be making smart remarks if _you_'d been fighting her."

Luke just grinned impudently. "All right, we'll switch when we go back."

Mara sighed in mock exasperation. "You're spending too much time with Solo."

Luke laughed, but his smile slowly faded as he glanced around the interior of the shuttle at the rest of their companions. Several of the Imperial troopers and Malysa were patching up their own wounds, but two others were tending to their dead, securing their fallen comrades in compartments in the main hold.

"Do you think we can win this?" Luke said quietly, looking back over his shoulder at Mara as she applied the bandage to his back.

She was quiet for a moment as she worked, but as she smoothed the edges of the bandage, securing the adhesive, Mara met his gaze. "Yes," she said. "But it won't be easy. What we _should_ do is leave and come back here with a full legion of troops to hunt them all down, but you know that isn't what Vader is going to do."

Luke glanced back at the rear of the ship, where Vader had sealed himself inside his private compartment to treat his own injuries. "I know," he said somberly.

Mara helped him back into his tunic, and he smoothed out the wrinkles as he leaned back against the metal wall of the shuttle. Mara sat down next to him, leaning against him.

"I'm concerned about him," Luke said as he put his arm around her. "Being in this place isn't helping, not with all the other things he has on his mind right now. The Dark Side is so strong here that I'm afraid it's going to extinguish the spark of light I've felt within him. If that happens…"

"You might have to fight him again," Mara finished, reaching over to clasp his hand.

"And I don't want to have to do that," Luke said. "He's trying not to show it, but he's hurting right now. He thinks everyone is turning on him, and it's pushing him further and further into darkness and despair."

Mara shifted, turning to look into his eyes. "Luke, after all that man has done, it's hard for me to feel sorry for him. Some people might say he's just getting what he deserves."

Luke sighed. "Yes, it's true that he's done some terrible things, but I get the sense that…" He paused, trying to think of the right words. "There's a reason he's so harsh, and it's not just the darkness within him. My father is trying to accomplish something, and he feels that everyone else is trying to get in his way. He feels very frustrated right now."

Mara looked at him curiously. "You can sense all that?"

Luke nodded. "He has very powerful emotions; I've been feeling this ever since he met us at Naboo."

Mara glanced back at the rear of the shuttle. "All I sense is that he's angry, but he usually is, anyway."

Luke shifted, thinking, and finally he stood. "I'm going to go talk to him."

Mara knew better than to advise against it; through their bond, he felt her thinking about how stubborn Skywalkers could get, knowing very well that he could sense her line of thought.

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked.

Luke took a deep breath, preparing himself. "No," he replied. "I should do this alone."

"All right," she said, touching his arm. _I'll still be there, anyway,_ she sent through the Force, along with a warm wave of reassurance.

Luke smiled at her, then turned and walked back to Vader's private compartment, steeling himself for his father's turbulent emotions.

He raised his hand to knock, but even as he drew his hand back, the door whisked open, revealing Vader sitting at the small table inside his room, working on his mechanical arm. "Come in," he said, glancing up at Luke.

Vader had changed into a fresh uniform, Luke saw, and had replaced his shredded cloak. His face was stoically expressionless, but his eyes were hard as he looked back down at his prosthetic.

"Repairing things has always… calmed me," Vader said as Luke walked in and the door closed behind him. "It is… easy to forget other concerns."

"Father," Luke began, sitting down in the other chair, but Vader held up his hand.

"I know what you are here to say, Luke," he said. He looked up from his arm, and his eyes seemed very sad just then. "It is… too late for me. I have done too much to be forgiven."

"Father…"

"Luke, just listen to me. I know that you think you can save me, that you think you can bring me back from the darkness, but it is too late. I am too far gone."

Luke leaned forward. "You are not-"

"Just listen!" Vader interrupted.

Luke sighed, but he leaned back and folded his hands in his lap.

"I have… tried to shape the galaxy into something better during my reign," Vader said. "But all that I have accomplished is to force those around me into rebellion. The people are no longer willing to listen to me, and I have come to see that my remaining in power will only prolong the war."

Vader looked away, as if staring through the walls of his shuttle out to some distant point. "Luke, there is a threat out there that the people of this galaxy are not ready to face, despite all that I have done to try to prepare them. If I try to explain, the people will not listen. They will only fight against me more."

"What is this threat?" Luke asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Vader said, making an adjustment to his arm with one of his tools. "What does matter is that when this is over, I will step down as Emperor." He looked up at his son. "I want you to take my place, Luke."

Luke reeled from the shocking news. "Father, I can't…"

"You _can_," Vader said firmly. "You can succeed where I failed. The people will listen to you. Those sympathetic to the Rebellion already see you as a hero, and those still loyal to me within the Empire will accept you as my heir because you are my son. You and Leia can heal the rift in this galaxy, to shape it into what it should be. My presence will only cause further disruption, when what our civilization needs the most is stability."

"Father, I don't want to be Emperor," Luke said.

"Then that is why you are the best candidate to succeed me," Vader replied. "I have come to realize that those who desire power are those least suitable to wield it. That may be why I failed as Emperor; I was too flush with the Dark Side. Instead of explaining the magnitude of the threat facing the galaxy, I tried to force the people into line, to force their obedience through fear instead of through respect." He made a final adjustment to his mechanical arm, then began to close it up. "Do not make the same mistakes I did, my son. The Dark Side may provide strength, but it corrodes your spirit, who you are as a person."

"What will you do?" Luke asked, too surprised by his father's change of heart to say anything else.

Vader swiftly buckled up the leather gauntlet around his prosthetic arm, then pulled the sleeve of his uniform down over it. "I will finish this," he said determinedly. "I will destroy my apprentice, or be destroyed myself in the attempt. If I do succeed, I will stay long enough to oversee the transition, and then I will take my flagship and go to hold the line against the invaders."

He reached out to clasp Luke's shoulder with one hand, meeting his eyes. "But if I fall, you must destroy Darth Nova. He cannot be allowed to escape Korriban alive, for he will do more damage than I ever could. He has thrown himself completely to the darkness, and has no intention of coming back."

"I will, Father," Luke said.

Vader nodded grimly. "Good. Now, go and get some rest. Tomorrow, this ends once and for all."

As Luke left his father's room, he was deep in thought. Vader might think he was too far gone to attempt redemption, Luke thought, but what he had just told him proved that his father was far closer to the light than he thought.

* * *

Sate Pestage looked out over the rows upon rows of balconies covering the walls of the Senate chamber. As his podium rose up through the floor, rapidly ascending to its full height, he straightened his robes, mentally running over the speech he had prepared and memorized one last time. Almost every seat was filled in the tremendous chamber, thousands of people waiting to hear what he had to say, anxious to learn why he had called them here in an emergency session.

The Grand Vizier thought back to another emergency session convened decades ago by his first master, the true Emperor. He drew inspiration from Palpatine's speech on the day he had dissolved the corrupt old Republic and replaced it with a strong new Empire. Today, he would return the galaxy to the path his master had planned. Vader had blundered on long enough; it was time to take the galaxy away from him before he did any more damage.

He decided to be blunt and truthful in the opening lines of his speech. "I have called you here today to propose the removal of Darth Vader as Emperor," Sate began, addressing the room full of Senators and their aides, as well as trillions more through the HoloNet cameras that hovered around the podium.

Despite the fact that the majority of the beings here today had known he would say this, a shocked murmur rippled through the Senate chamber. Sate held up his hands for silence. When the mutterings had died away, he continued.

"When Chancellor Palpatine dissolved the Republic," Sate said, "he had a grand plan in mind. His heir, Darth Vader, has failed to carry out that plan. He has proved his unsuitability for the position of galactic ruler again and again by blundering from one costly war to another. His rule has proved so disastrous that a sizable number of his subjects have risen up in open rebellion against him, demanding his removal as Emperor.

"A true leader, a _strong_ leader, like Palpatine, would never have inspired such rebellion. Under his leadership, we weathered one of the worst conflicts this galaxy has ever seen, but he led us through it, and we were stronger than ever when he re-forged our civilization into the Empire. But he was tragically struck down, and we were left with his apprentice as replacement."

"My office has uncovered new evidence," Sate declared, "that it was not the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi who struck down our first Emperor, as Lord Vader has long claimed. It was Vader _himself_ who killed Emperor Palpatine!"

A louder ripple of shock swept around the convocation chamber, and Sate waited for it to quiet down.

There was no such evidence, nothing concrete, anyway, but Sate had deduced this conclusion himself through a careful study of the events of the first Empire Day. The warship Emperor Palpatine had taken to the Mustafar system had not recorded any other vessels leaving the planet before it arrived, nor once Vader had flown the Emperor's shuttle back aboard bearing Palpatine's corpse. The medical examination revealed that Palpatine had been dead for less than twenty minutes by the time he was brought aboard the warship, and since he was killed by a lightsaber, the only realistic possibility for his assassin's identity was Vader himself.

"I call for a vote of no confidence in Darth Vader's leadership," Sate said once the chamber quieted again. "The Senate must exercise its emergency power to remove an unsuitable leader."

"The sovereign system of Naboo seconds this motion!" the Senator for that sector declared, detaching her pod to hover out into the main chamber. "We must vote now!"

It took only moments for the Senators to enter their votes and for the central computer to calculate the totals. When the results were in, Sate sent them out to the display screens in all the pods. "The Senate has decided," he declared. "Darth Vader is no longer the Emperor. Administrative duties will be transferred to the Grand Vizier's office until a suitable replacement can be found. A fleet will be dispatched to Lord Vader's location to inform him of our decision and enforce it if he does not surrender his position peacefully."

With a roar of approval, the Senate surged to its feet and applauded. Again, Sate waited several moments before continuing.

"With this decision, we can finally put a dark chapter in our history behind us," he said. "We must move forward, into a new era!"

As the Senate cheered again, Sate concealed his satisfaction behind a politician's mask, thinking of all that could be accomplished with Vader out of the way. A new era was rising, certainly; one in which Sate himself would sit upon the Emperor's throne. He would arrange for Director Isard to not survive the second round of the battle at Naboo, and once she, Vader, and Nova were all either dead or out of the way, the throne would be his for the taking.

He would take Isard's suggestion, though; one of his first decisions would be to enact another purge of Force-users, Sate decided as he looked around the Senate chamber. Neither the Jedi nor the Sith could be allowed to roam the galaxy any longer, dragging the rest of civilization into their endless squabbles. The galaxy would be better off without such troubles.

Some legions of the Imperial military had already enacted Order 66 once; when Sate solidified his power, he would see to it that the order was executed across the galaxy once more.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my beta readers and reviewers. Chapter 7 will be up the day after tomorrow. Thanks for reading!


	7. Darkness Falls

**Seven**  
(Darkness Falls)

An uneasy night passed on the ships in orbit above Naboo as the crews of the Alliance fleet and the _Executor_ worked in round-the-chronometer shifts to repair their vessels. They had had no word from the Emperor since he had left, and this worried many aboard the flagship.

The only news that they had had since the battle had begun yesterday was a shocking news announcement that reported the Senate had voted and removed Lord Vader as Emperor early this morning.

Admiral Piett watched the news report in the officers' lounge of _Executor_, unable to believe this was happening. So much upheaval had taken place over the last few days that it was starting to remind him of the end of the Clone Wars and the formation of the Empire.

"This is illegal," a voice said behind Piett, startling him. He shifted in his chair, looking back from the screen at the person who had spoken. As he recognized Grand Admiral Thrawn, he started to stand, but Thrawn indicated that he should remain seated.

"The Senate does not legally have the power to remove the Emperor," Thrawn continued, walking forward to stand next to the wide viewport that ran along the length of one wall. "There can be no doubt this is a part of Isard's conspiracy. She, Darth Nova, and Pestage must have been working together on this."

"What can we do?" asked Piett.

Thrawn looked out of the viewport at the planet below, clasping his hands behind his back. "We will use this ship in the most useful manner possible. If Lord Vader is victorious at Korriban, we will help him retake the Empire from the conspirators. If his apprentice is the one who returns, we will carry out Lord Vader's last orders and take the flagship to Vanguard Base Alpha."

"What does that mean, sir?"

"It means," Thrawn said, turning away from the window to look back at Piett, "that we cannot fight two civil wars at once. There are threats facing this galaxy, targets better suited for the Imperial military than our own subjects. If Darth Nova seizes power, we cannot remain here to attempt to salvage the situation, no matter how much we might wish to. What truly matters is holding the line against the Far Outsiders."

"Far Outsiders?" Piett asked. He hadn't heard that term before.

"Lord Vader has authorized me to brief you on the situation, Admiral," said Thrawn. "However, what I am about to tell you is not to be passed on without Lord Vader's express permission until such time as he decides to make this public knowledge."

Piett nodded. "I understand, sir."

"The Far Outsiders are an extragalactic civilization," Thrawn began, "one whose technology is so different from our own as to almost be incomprehensible to us…"

* * *

On Korriban, Luke Skywalker felt the powerful surge of anger through the Force as Darth Nova demanded that Vader return to face him. After spending hours trapped in an ancient tomb, Nova's temper had only grown more foul, and Luke could sense his rage. The younger Sith Lord was eager for blood; today there would be no retreat. Only one Sith Lord would leave this planet alive.

As a precaution against sabotage or theft by the Sith, Vader's group had R2-D2 fly the shuttle to a hidden location nearby, only seconds away by flight but entirely inaccessible on foot. Luke glanced back to watch the shuttle fly away.

When it was gone, he, his father, and the rest of their group were alone in the Valley of the Dark Lords. The valley was as dim as ever; almost no light filtered through Korriban's heavy clouds to the surface today. Thunder rumbled overhead, light flashing as lightning darted from cloud to cloud far above their heads.

Nova was right, Luke thought grimly. There would be no retreat today, no respite. The battle would be over when all the members of one side lay dead or dying, bleeding into the dry red dirt like uncounted others in this planet's violent past.

Darth Vader stood at the edge of the cluster of pillars in the center of the valley, as motionless as the colossal statues around them. Only his cloak moved in the wind, gently billowing out behind him and shifting around his feet. The four remaining Royal Guards stood similarly motionless on either side of the Emperor, while TK-421 and his stormtroopers patrolled one end of the valley. Malysa Kolos knelt in meditation a few meters away, behind Mara Jade, who paced back and forth restlessly, impatiently tossing the hilt of her lightsaber back and forth between her hands.

Luke himself remained where he was, watching the others and thinking on what his father had said to him last night. He wondered if he could really go through with it, if taking Vader's place as Emperor was really the right thing to do. He could certainly effect change, Luke thought. He could be the bridge between the Alliance and the Empire, help them to end the war and set about erecting defenses against the mysterious enemy his father had mentioned.

If he was Emperor, Luke reasoned, he could personally ensure that peace and justice returned to the galaxy. What better way to keep the peace than to enforce it himself? He was already older than his father had been when he had ascended the throne, and he would have the advantage of the existing infrastructure. He could assemble his government from the best members of both the Alliance and the Empire.

But was it the Jedi way?

The old Jedi Order could have taken control of the Republic anytime they wanted, but they never did. They remained instead an autonomous body whose main goals were study of the Force and the preservation of peace and justice in the galaxy. There must have been a reason the Jedi never tried to rule the galaxy themselves.

But, Luke thought, the old order had made mistakes in the past. Had that been one of them? Would the galaxy have been better off if the Jedi had taken control?

On the other hand, Luke thought, supposing he did accept Vader's offer and took up the mantle of Emperor, how long would it be until he himself became like his father? Oh, he would have the greatest of intentions at first, and he would genuinely try to use his rule to benefit the people of the galaxy, but how long would it take for that kind of power to corrupt him?

How long would it take for him to become so impatient with bureaucracy and politics that he forcibly took control and decided people needed to think what he told them to think?

In that moment, Luke knew, he understood his father. He still did not approve of Vader's methods as Emperor, but for the first time, he truly understood them. The Dark Side was insidious, he knew; it did not always manifest itself through violence and destruction. No, there were more subtle ways to be corrupted, less dramatic ways to fall, but the end result was the same: a total degradation of the spirit, an eroding away of one's humanity.

He would not repeat his father's mistakes, Luke resolved. He would not follow his same path, one that led to the Dark Side. If he walked away from this battlefield, he would take his life on an entirely different path. Along with Mara, his sister, and Malysa, assuming they all lived through today, he would rebuild the Jedi Order and serve as a guardian of security, of stability and prosperity instead of violence and fear like the Sith who roamed the galaxy today.

His determination renewed, Luke took a deep breath and centered himself in the light, shielding his heart against the darkness that assaulted him from all sides.

With a tremendous blast of power, the rubble covering the tomb containing Darth Nova erupted out like a volcano, spewing chunks of rock and fragments of metal rather than lava. Nova charged out of the tomb and straight at Vader, igniting his lightsaber on the way.

His eyes were wild, his uniform was burned, torn, and dirty, and fury radiated from him in waves. Nova issued no challenges, gave no speeches and made no threats. He only ran at his former master, bent on death and destruction.

Behind him came every one of his remaining followers. Led by Tamith Kai, the Sith emerged from the ruins at the end of the canyon and ran at full speed down the valley behind their master, lightsabers held high.

With a last deep, cleansing breath, Luke planted his feet wide, ignited his lightsaber, and braced himself to meet their charge.

* * *

Ysanne Isard's smile as she stood on the bridge of her Super Star Destroyer and surveyed her newly assembled fleet was a truly terrible thing to behold.

She had transferred herself to the aptly named _Vengeance_ to lead the second attack; the _Lusankya_ was heavily damaged, and would be left here until repairs were complete.

Nearly five hundred ships had gathered here on the outskirts of the system. It was only a fraction of the mighty Imperial Navy, but it was enough for now. More ships were inbound; Isard would have far more reinforcements than she would ever need to crush Thrawn and the Rebels, but she was taking no chances. There was no such thing as 'excessive force' in Ysanne's personal book of tactics; if the objective was accomplished, then the mission was a success. Collateral damage was irrelevant.

Outside, half a dozen additional Super Star Destroyers were among the newly arrived ships; _Executor_'s advantage was long gone now. She would swoop in like a bird of prey and crush Thrawn and the Rebels in the figurative talons of her hundreds of ships. Victory would take only moments, she was sure.

But first, she needed to ensure her own personal victory.

Moving with all the speed her reflexes and hours upon hours of training provided, Isard drew her blaster as she suddenly turned, dropped into a half-crouch, then shot the Sith student standing at the other end of the command walkway perfectly between the eyes. The young man didn't even have time to blink in surprise before his corpse collapsed into one of the crew pits.

Isard let a satisfied grin spread across her face; she'd been wanting to do that for a very long time.

"Give me fleet-wide," Isard said to the senior comm officer, one of the few crewmen who wasn't staring at the dead body that had toppled over their stations.

When she could be heard by all aboard her own vessel and everyone in the rest of the fleet, Ysanne Isard stiffened her back, straightened her uniform, and holstered her blaster.

"This is Supreme Commander Isard to all troops," she began. She paused for an instant to savor the moment.

"Execute Order 66."

* * *

_Imperial General Order 66: In the event of Sith officers acting against the interests of the Empire, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming from the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military, all troopers are authorized to remove those officers by any means necessary._

* * *

In a corridor on board the Super Star Destroyer _Night Hammer,_ Trooper LG-138 heard Director Isard's order and snapped his blaster rifle into position, taking aim in the center of the nearest Sith Lord's back.

The man turned, staring at LG-138 and the rest of his squad with yellow eyes. "What are you doing?"

LG-138's reply was to shoot the Sith Lord in the forehead. Nearly a dozen more blaster bolts from the rest of his squad slammed into the dark-robed body before it hit the deck. The Sith hadn't even had time to draw his lightsaber.

* * *

ZT-991 was attending a briefing being given by a Sith warrior, her dark hair pulled severely back to the nape of her neck, on the primary targets on Naboo's surface they would be invading once the Rebel lines were broken.

Every other white-armored trooper there heard the announcement at the same time:

"_Execute Order 66_."

The Sith warrior's yellow eyes widened in alarm, her hand going for the lightsaber at her belt, but she only got halfway before ZT-991 and a dozen other troopers raised their rifles and fired.

"Target One eliminated," ZT-991 reported over his comm. "Moving on to Target Two."

* * *

MS-998 heard the order in the cockpit of his TIE Interceptor, and acknowledged, decreasing speed to allow the leader of his formation to pull ahead.

With clinical precision, MS-998 locked his targeting computer on the Sith Lord's Interceptor and calmly squeezed the trigger to send a hail of blaster fire into the other fighter's rear section. His unexpected blast completely severed one of the wings, and the Sith Lord's fighter spun out of control.

It exploded a moment later, flinging burning wreckage in all directions.

* * *

Trooper PG-134, marching in formation toward a landing vessel in the hangar of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Virulence_, halted in perfect sync with the rest of his squad, raising his blaster rifle at a group of three Sith that were leading them.

The first Sith died instantly, but a second used his comrade as a shield while he drew his lightsaber. PG-134 fired burst after burst from his rifle, tracking the Sith as he sprinted across the hangar bay.

When the Sith hurled his lightsaber at his squad, PG-134 dropped to the deck, ignoring his fellow troopers' cries of pain as the ruby lightsaber scythed through them. Peering through the dark lenses of his helmet, PG-134 switched his blaster rifle over to full automatic and sprayed a hail of orange bolts across the hangar at the fleeing Sith.

One of his bolts hit the Sith in the calf, and as he stumbled, six more lanced out from other stormtroopers and dropped the black-robed warrior to the deck.

PG-134 strode over to the bodies of the other two, and upon seeing that one of the men was still moving, sprayed the body with another burst of blaster fire.

"Objective complete," he said to his commander.

"Notify the Director," the other trooper replied.

* * *

On the bridge of _Vengeance_, Ysanne Isard waited in pleased silence as the stormtroopers' reports were relayed in.

Less than twenty minutes after she had given the order, every single Sith Darth Nova had ordered along for this offensive was dead. The fleet was truly under her control now.

"Order the Interdictors to stand down," Isard ordered, striding forward along the command walkway to the expansive viewports. "All ships, prepare for microjump directly into position around Naboo." She smiled to herself in satisfaction. "Thrawn will be surrounded and destroyed before he knows what is happening."

* * *

"Are you coming with us, or are you staying here?"

Leia turned to look at Han, who stood outside the _Millennium Falcon_ in the hangar bay of the Royal Palace. They had just received news that a huge Imperial fleet was inbound, and Han had decided to take his heavily armed, armored and modified freighter up to help in any way he could.

It took only a moment of weighing the situation for Leia to make up her mind. "I'm going with you," she said. "We've rounded up all the Imperial troops that landed before the shields went up, and as long as they hold, there's nothing I can do here on the ground."

"All right," Han said, clapping his hands together once. "If there's anything you need to take care of, you'd better do it now. We'll be ready to take off in ten minutes."

"Okay," Leia said. "I'll be right back."

With that, she headed off deeper into the palace to find her mother. She found Padmé in the war room with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, gathered around the central table.

Leia stopped next to her mother and her adoptive father. "I'm going to go with Han," she told them. "We're taking the _Falcon_ up to help with the battle."

Padmé enfolded her in a warm embrace. "Be careful," she said. "Come back home safely. When all this is over, I want to take you and Luke to meet your family."

Leia smiled through tears that threatened to well up then. "I will," she said. "I'll come back; I promise."

With her mother's hand still on her shoulder, Leia turned to Bail Organa. Their relationship had been somewhat strained over the last year, since Leia had had a hard time forgiving him and Breha for not telling her who her real parents were when they had known all along.

"I understand why you didn't want to tell me who my father was," she said. "I just wanted to tell you before I left that… I forgive you for lying to me." She smiled slightly. "From a certain point of view, telling me my parents were dead wasn't really a lie at all."

Bail's lips quirked in a slight wry smile of his own for a moment, then let it fade. "We were only trying to protect you, Leia," he said. "Breha and I love you. We always have."

"I know," she said, moving forward to embrace him. When they parted, she looked up into his eyes. "I'll always consider you my father. You have always been there for me, and I will always be grateful for that."

Next to her, there was a hint of sadness in Padmé's smile, but nevertheless her tone remained warm. "I am grateful as well," she said. "Please, consider yourself part of our family."

"I suppose I'd better get going," said Leia.

"Remember what you are fighting for," Bail said. "Do not repeat your father's mistakes."

"I won't," Leia said, glancing at Padmé. Her mother smiled sadly.

She turned and left, headed down to the hangar bay. As she walked, Leia took the opportunity to center herself in the Force, to let peace replace emotion. She had spent the last few days far too angry, Leia knew; that rage had to be purged so as not to let the Dark Side wrap any of its tendrils around her heart.

* * *

On Korriban, the skies flashed with lightning and rumbled with thunder. Far below, on the surface, a storm of a different kind raged.

Engaged in the second round of her duel with Tamith Kai, Mara Jade hurled herself into an athletic back-flip, tucking her legs so as to land atop the twisted metal hulk that had once been the Sith shuttle. A piece of debris hurled by her opponent whistled in, spinning like a saw blade, but Mara smashed it aside with her lightsaber.

The Dathomiran warrior spread out her hand and sent a flickering burst of Force Lightning up at Mara, but the former Emperor's Hand nimbly dodged it with another acrobatic flip.

As soon as her boots hit the dry red ground, Mara whirled in an advancing slash, angling her blade low. Tamith Kai leaped over the slash, but as soon as her boots hit the ground in turn, she lashed out with a spin kick, alternating lightsaber slashes and kicks with her lizard-skin boots.

Mara parried the slashes and dodged the kicks, lashing back with a few strikes of her own when she could get them in.

"You know, something occurs to me, Tamith Kai," Mara said as she slashed out with a long right-to-left diagonal strike.

"And what is that, traitor?" Tamith Kai replied, catching the strike on her scarlet blade before whirling to bring one of her own around.

"All those times that you and I sparred in the Temple," Mara went on, advancing with a series of wide, curving slashes, "you didn't win a single match. Want to know why that was?"

Tamith Kai twisted out of the way of one of Mara's stabs, going on the offensive herself with a pattern of horizontal sweeps. "Do enlighten me," she said as their blades locked.

"You never did learn to mind your surroundings," Mara said with a grin.

Tamith Kai's eyes narrowed in suspicion, just in time for her to leap to the side as a piece of rubble Mara had been levitating rocketed in at her. This, exactly as Mara planned, put her in line for a _second_ piece of rubble thrown in by Luke.

The jagged chunk of rock struck the Dathomiran in the back, and she stumbled forward. Mara's lightsaber lanced out, and the Sith woman's momentum toppled her onto the blade.

Tamith Kai let out only a grunt of pain, her face remaining stoically expressionless as she slid off the glowing magenta blade and collapsed to the ground. Her head slumped to the side, her ebony braids slipping down to cover her face.

Mara pushed her hair back over her shoulders with one hand as Luke approached, his own emerald weapon held loosely in one hand.

"Thanks, Skywalker," Mara said, gesturing to the fallen Dathomiran with her lightsaber. "How many more of them are there?"

Luke glanced back over his shoulder, glancing around the battlefield at the Sith warriors and Imperial troopers trading blaster bolts and Force energy. "Not more than a dozen, I'd guess," he said.

"How's Vader doing?" Mara said, peering through the storm of laser fire and crackling Force Lightning to where two scarlet lightsabers crashed against one another at the other end of the valley.

The clouds above them swirled with sudden hurricane-force wind that howled down through the valley, kicking up dust and debris. Mara held up a hand to shield her eyes, taking shelter with Luke behind a mound of rock knocked loose from the cliff walls during the shuttle crash. Through the wind and flying dust, Mara could see the two Sith Lords' lightsabers; one was held high and out at an angle, as if its wielder had his arms stretched wide. The other was low to the ground, angled in a defensive diagonal line as its wielder crouched away from the fury of the storm. At this distance, and through the dust cloud, Mara could not see which lightsaber belonged to which Sith Lord.

As the wind surged through the valley, the clouds above drew down in a massive spiral, looking like nothing so much as the accretion disc of a black hole or a maelstrom made of smoke. Lightning flickered within the cloud, glowing purple-white ribbons of energy that crackled and sparked out to smash into the ground in random patterns. Stone chips sprayed from each point of impact, pelting the temporarily halted combatants like bruising rain.

Lightning lashed down from the cloud in punishing whips, smashing again and again into the ground where one Sith Lord crouched, vainly trying to defend himself from his opponent's overwhelming elemental assault.

The Force boiled in as turbulent a storm as the one raging around them, making it impossible to sense anything with accuracy. Mara tried, but could not tell which Sith Lord was the attacker and which was the target of the storm.

Onwards it raged, growing with an intensity fueled by the Dark Side.

* * *

Han Solo gripped the controls of his starship tightly, keeping a wary eye on the star-flecked expanse of space outside the cockpit viewports. The _Millennium Falcon_ held position high above Naboo, in formation above the _Executor_ and _Home One_, around which the ragged remnants of the Alliance fleet floated, steeling themselves for the return of Isard and her fleet.

Moments ago, a broad-band comm transmission had swept through the system, overriding the programming of any holoprojector, display screen, and comm array to display a news recording of the Imperial Senate near-unanimously voting to remove Darth Vader from power. Coruscant was now under the control of forces loyal to Director Isard and Grand Vizier Pestage's conspiracy, and a bloody second civil war had already erupted between the mutineers' forces and the elements of the Imperial military still loyal to Vader.

After the end of the news report, Director Isard had transmitted from the bridge of her new command ship one final chance for surrender. Both Admiral Ackbar and Grand Admiral Thrawn had transmitted back with refusals, and so Isard was on her way with her enormous fleet, which had now swelled to ten times or more its original number.

The Alliance fleet was down to perhaps six-eighths its original number; Han didn't even want to think about how outnumbered they were. If Threepio were here, he'd probably be rattling off the odds right now, but today was _definitely_ a day Han Solo didn't want to hear odds.

Beside him, Chewbacca made final checks of their temperamental freighter's systems. The _Falcon_ was behaving itself today, surprisingly; nothing was threatening to overload or fail on them. Han couldn't remember the last time so many of the status lights on the board had been green. Behind him sat Leia, watching for the approaching fleet as pensively as the _Falcon_'s pilots.

The first white specks of Imperial Star Destroyers swooped into view, opening fire immediately as they reverted from lightspeed. Wave after wave appeared, their numbers swelling until it seemed as if there was no direction Han could look that was not occupied by the white, angled shape of a Star Destroyer or a tremendous dark blue command ship.

Boldly, the _Executor_ accelerated upwards toward the incoming mutineers, its thousands of turbolaser batteries, torpedo launchers, and blaster cannons blazing out at the enemy. Grand Admiral Thrawn fearlessly hurled the Emperor's flagship at the enemy fleet, leading the charge for their side.

"Here we go," Han said grimly. He looked back over his shoulder at Leia. "You and Winter had better go back to the turrets."

Leia nodded determinedly as she stood. She paused for a moment to give Han's shoulder a comforting squeeze, and then she was gone, the cockpit door hissing closed behind her.

"I always knew I was going to go out against an Imperial ship," Han said to Chewbacca as he accelerated forward, soaring along the length of the _Executor_. "I just never thought it'd be fighting alongside one, too."

Chewbacca growled his agreement, furry hands moving up to the weapons systems.

"_Freighter _Millennium Falcon," a clipped voice said from the comm suddenly, "_this is _Executor. _You are hereby designated Epsilon Leader and given command of TIE Squadron Epsilon. Your target is Super Star Destroyer _Vengeance."

"Acknowledged, _Executor_," Han said. He glanced down at the sensor screen to see two dozen TIE Interceptors and a dozen TIE Bombers dropping into formation behind him. He flipped the comm over to the Epsilon Squadron frequency. "All right, boys, you're with me. Let's hit 'em fast and hit 'em hard. Primary targets are the bridge, deflector control, life support, and engines."

"_Acknowledged, Epsilon Leader_," a flat, emotionless voice replied. "_Targets designated_."

"_Rogue Leader to _Millennium Falcon_,"_ a familiar voice broke in. "_If you guys are going after Isard, we're with you."_

Han grinned. "Thanks, Wedge. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"_No kidding_," Wedge replied dryly. His voice became businesslike as he issued his orders to the rest of Rogue Squadron. "_All right Rogues, here's the plan; team up with those Interceptors and protect the TIE Bombers. Our primary objective is to get them through the _Vengeance_'s shields so they can start doing some damage. Seven through Twelve, stick with the Interceptors and Bombers. Two through Six, you're with me. We're gonna stay with the _Falcon_ and take care of the enemy fighters._"

Han heard a chorus of acknowledgments as Rogue Squadron adjusted their formation, moving their X-wings into position. He half-smiled to himself; this motley assortment was something he would never have imagined a week ago.

Epsilon Squadron accelerated toward the enemy command ship, dodging turbolaser bolts from the arrayed Star Destroyers. A swarming cloud of enemy TIE fighters swooped in toward them, blaster cannons spitting green death.

"_Here we go!_" a Rogue shouted over the squadron frequency. "_This one's for Biggs!_"

Lasers blazing, the ships of Epsilon Squadron leaped at the enemy.

* * *

On the bridge of _Home One_, Admiral Ackbar surveyed the battleground. Even with the titanic _Executor_ on their side, the Alliance ships were still wildly outnumbered. Today would be freedom's last stand, the last chance for the forces devoted to restoring peace and justice to the galaxy to make a difference.

Perhaps they would not leave this battle alive, Ackbar mused, but they would still fight on. History would remember this day, no matter the outcome. Perhaps, even if they did not succeed here, their example would inspire others to take up their cause. Despite all the destruction and death that would occur here, some good would come of this battle.

Grimly, Ackbar gripped the arms of his command chair and gave the order to charge. His mighty flagship moved into position next to the _Executor_, dwarfed by its counterpart but no less determined. Around them, Garm Bel Iblis' fleet of _Katana_-class Dreadnaughts opened fire with their turbolasers, hurling themselves at the menacing white Star Destroyers. Fighters swarmed everywhere around and between the capital ships, trading blaster bolts and torpedoes.

"Admiral, sensors report multiple contacts emerging from hyperspace beyond the second moon," one of the Mon Calamarian officers reported.

"More Imperial ships?" Ackbar asked, dreading the answer.

"No, sir," the officer reported, astonished. "Preliminary readings indicate… civilian ships!"

"What?" Ackbar said in surprise. "Who are these people?"

"Incoming transmission, sir!" the comm officer reported. "It's from General Calrissian!"

"Put it through," Ackbar ordered.

"_I repeat, this is General Lando Calrissian aboard the _Wild Karrde," the gambler's voice said from the bridge speakers. "Home One,_ please acknowledge."_

"_Wild Karrde, _this is Admiral Ackbar," the Mon Cal admiral said. "General Calrissian, who are these people?"

"_Reinforcements, sir,_" Lando replied. Ackbar could imagine the gambler's grin. "_I hope I'm not too late for the party; I had to stop off to get a few extra guests._"

"_Admiral Ackbar, this is Talon Karrde_," a new human male voice said. "_The ships of my organization and those of my allies are at your disposal. Please designate targets._"

Ackbar could hardly believe his good luck; the sensor readings on his screen indicated that there were more than three hundred heavily armed vessels inbound, some of them launching fighters. The odds were still not good, but now they were far better than they had been.

The Mon Cal admiral gave Talon Karrde, whoever he was, an instant unofficial rank. "Commodore Karrde," he said, "assign your ships to eliminate as many of the enemy command ships as possible. Primary targets are Super Star Destroyers _Vengeance, Night Hammer, Razor's Kiss, Intimidator_, and _Enforcer."_

"_Commodore, hmm?_" Karrde said amusedly. "_Acknowledged, _Home One. _What about _Executor?"

"_This is Grand Admiral Thrawn to Commodore Karrde,_" the Imperial commander's voice said over the command frequency. "_Designate _Executor_ and its fighters as friendly, repeat, friendly."_

"Confirmed, _Wild Karrde_," Ackbar said. "_Executor_ is on our side."

"_Someone's going to have to explain this to me later,_" said Karrde. "_You heard the man. All ships, designate _Executor_ and its support craft as friendly. Pick your targets and do some damage, people."_

His spirits bolstered, Ackbar returned his attention to the fleet. Keeping a careful eye on the placement of enemy vessels, Ackbar ordered his ships to the positions where they could do the most good, protecting one another at times and going on the offensive at other times.

On the command frequency, Ackbar kept a running dialogue with Grand Admiral Thrawn, Garm Bel Iblis, and General Calrissian and Talon Karrde aboard the smuggler's flagship, pooling their collective resources to develop the best possible strategy. The collection of so many keen strategic minds enabled the Alliance fleet to hold its own against the vast forces of Director Isard, but Ackbar knew they could not last forever.

On the tactical screen, the _Executor_ brought the full force of its turbolaser batteries and torpedo emplacements upon the _Intimidator_. Though the two ships were of the same class, Darth Vader's personal ship was much more heavily armed and armored, possessing almost twice the number of weapons emplacements that were standard for its class, along with triple-thick layers of armor plating and overlapping redundant shields.

As Ackbar watched, _Executor_'s guns ripped through the other Super Star Destroyer mercilessly, blasting it to shreds. _Intimidator_ bloomed with fire and debris clouds from multiple hull breaches before its running lights went dark, the engines sputtered out, and the dead hulk drifted up and away from the Emperor's flagship on the momentum of the continuing fusillade.

All thoughts of the rest of the battle vanished from the minds of Ackbar and his crew as they watched, mesmerized, what Thrawn did next.

Under the Grand Admiral's command, the _Executor_ seized its former sister ship with tractor beams and used the dead hulk as a sort of improvised shield, pulling the _Intimidator_ along like an umbrella as it advanced toward the enemy formation.

Isard's _Vengeance_ and dozens of other ships targeted the _Executor_, but the wreckage of the _Intimidator_ took the brunt of their fire, until finally Thrawn shoved the _Intimidator_ up and away from the _Executor_ to sail directly into the enemy formation. _Executor_'s guns fired on the hulk, targeting the rear of the ship, and when the wreck had gotten far enough inside the mutineers' lines, its hypermatter reactor detonated in a sun-bright explosion.

Ackbar automatically raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare, visible even through the bridge viewports' protective coating that flickered opaque, and when the viewports cleared, he saw that a large number of enemy Star Destroyers were aflame or destroyed, crippled and drifting.

Out of the flaming debris cloud came the _Executor_ with all guns blazing, roaring down like a hammer of judgment upon the next ships in the enemy formation.

Emboldened, Ackbar gave the order for the Alliance fleet to fill the hole _Executor_ had blasted through the enemy line. "All batteries, fire!"

As the mutineers were about to learn, cornering some beasts only made them all the more fierce.

Ships exploded all around them as the Alliance fleet followed the spearhead of the _Executor_ deeper into the enemy formation, some of them their own, but still they pressed on. If they were going to be destroyed this day, they would take as many of the enemy with them as they could.

* * *

Han Solo made his vessel dance through the hurricane of light that raged around him, in complete union with his ship. The _Falcon_ seemed an extension of Han's own body as he flew like he'd never flown before, dodging shrapnel and turbolaser blasts alike. Adrenaline flooded his system, ratcheting all his senses to hyper-awareness.

Ships exploded in violent fury on all sides, erupting with huge gouts of flame and atmosphere as death-blows pierced them through their figurative hearts. The comm chattered with a multitude of voices, but Han pushed it all to the background, accelerating for all his beloved ship was worth toward his target.

The _Vengeance_ loomed ahead, swelling to fill his entire viewport as he drew closer, leading a pack of avenging hounds bent on taking down their massive prey. Han felt the _Falcon_ rock and shudder as he forced his way through the outer shields, all weapons blazing at the swarm of fighters surrounding them.

Han twisted the _Falcon _ through a dizzying series of loops and swerves, heading inexorably for the bridge of the behemoth. Turbolaser bolts flashed past him as he pushed his vessel ever forward, intent on his target.

But then, the blaster-fire outside gradually trickled off as the sensors of every vessel reported a massive incoming contact emerging from hyperspace on the edge of the battleground. Han was close enough to see the incoming ship, which entered the field straight 'up' relative to the _Vengeance_.

The hyperspace tunnel opened, and a great black _thing_ came crawling out from between the stars. It was huge, at least as massive as a Super Star Destroyer, but the lines were different; thicker, sharper, and more menacing. Most riveting was some kind of tremendous weapon emplacement that jutted down and backwards from the bow like a predatory sea creature's fin. Running lights and viewports gleamed along the enormous battleship's lines, giving distinction to the obsidian-black shape.

It looked like nothing so much as a ghost ship from an ancient legend, come to wreak vengeance upon those who dared disturb its rest.

For several seconds, Han could only stare at the monstrosity, until he finally gave voice to the only words to which he could give coherent thought:

"What in all nine hells is _that?_"

* * *

On Korriban, the Force-fueled storm raged down the length of the Valley of the Dark Lords, smashing a tumbling black-garbed figure further and further along the dry, wind-whipped ground toward the sheer drop at the end of the valley.

Luke squinted through the clouds of red dirt, trying to make out the figure's identity, but he could see only a vague shape.

Finally, the winds calmed and the dust began to settle. The battered figure slowly staggered to its feet, deactivated lightsaber clenched in one hand. As the Sith Lord turned back toward the main battleground of the valley, Luke saw with a sinking feeling in his stomach that one of the figure's eyes was a glowing blue.

Darth Vader's chest heaved as he weaved unsteadily on his feet, trying to recover from the tremendous beating his apprentice had just given him with the power of the Dark Side. His cloak hung in ragged tatters from his shoulders, fluttering in shredded ribbons behind him in the slowly dying wind. His beard was stained with blood on one side, running from the corner of his mouth, and an angry burn mark swept back from his temple into his hairline, above the patch-like lens for his prosthetic, which was cracked with white spidery lines.

Darth Nova strode almost calmly out of the slowly settling dust cloud, his blood-red lightsaber gripped in one hand, while he raised his other to point at his former Sith Master.

Vader raised his lightsaber, about to ignite it, but a powerful stream of Force Lightning erupted from Nova's hand and spiraled out to impact him solidly in the center of his chest. Vader cried out in pain, staggering backwards under the assault. He stopped on the very edge of the cliff, gathering himself for a counterattack, but Nova increased the strength of his lightning, adding a Force push.

As Luke watched in horror, his father toppled backwards over the edge of the cliff and was gone.

Nova ceased his stream of lightning and slowly turned to stare over at where Luke and Mara crouched, his yellow eyes gleaming in the eternal twilight.

"Now," he said, baring his teeth in a malicious, predatory grin, "it's _your_ turn."

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my beta readers, and to those of you kind enough to leave comments letting me know what you think. I appreciate your thoughts on my work. Thanks for reading!


	8. A Bright Shining Light

**Eight**  
(A Bright Shining Light)

"It looks like an Imperial ship," Han Solo said to Chewbacca, staring at the tremendous black monstrosity that had just reverted from hyperspace at the edge of the battle. "Not a class I've ever seen before, though."

The Wookiee barked his agreement, adding a further conjecture on the enormous weapon emplacement on the prow.

"You're right," Han said, peering at the new ship. "Looks like some kind of giant turbolaser array." He glanced back down at the Super Star Destroyer _Vengeance_, along which they and the assorted fighters he commanded flew, then back up at the black titan above them. "The better question is, whose side is this thing on?"

As if in answer, the huge obsidian vessel's superlaser array glowed green and then fired a massive bolt thicker around than most ships. Han watched in horror as the superlaser bolt lanced out directly at _Home One_.

But at the last moment, just before impact, Han realized the trajectory was wrong; the superlaser blast slid past the Mon Calamarian vessel with a quarter kilometer to spare and slammed into one of Isard's Star Destroyers. The angular white vessel erupted with fire, its pierced reactor detonating violently.

"One shot!" Han crowed, hardly able to believe what he had just seen. "That thing just took out a Star Destroyer with _one shot_!"

Chewie let out an ear-shattering howl of exultation, pumping his furry arms in the air.

"_This is Baron Soontir Fel aboard the Imperial Star Dreadnought _Eclipse," a deep, authoritarian voice announced in a broad-spectrum comm transmission. "_Director Isard, your ships are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender to the authority of Emperor Skywalker_." Fel paused for a moment. "_If you do not comply, I will open fire again, this time upon your command ship."_

"_Vader no longer has any authority,_" Isard snapped back over the same frequency. "_All ships, target the _Eclipse! _I want that thing gone, now!_"

The Star Destroyers of Isard's fleet wheeled around and unleashed a furious barrage on the _Eclipse_, but the black titan weathered the assault stoically, returning fire with its own turbolaser batteries while its main weapon recharged.

"Executor _to Epsilon Leader_," Grand Admiral Thrawn's voice said from the comm. "_Keep your squadron on target. Eliminate the _Vengeance_ as quickly as possible._"

"Acknowledged," Han replied. He reached out and hit the 'mute' on his own microphone. "Doesn't ask for much, does he?" he said sarcastically, exchanging a glance with Chewbacca. "Sure, I'll take my sixty-year-old freighter and some fighters and take out a Super Star Destroyer all by myself." Han scoffed. "We can't all be so lucky as to have giant laser guns on our ships, buddy."

Chewbacca snuffled in amusement, adjusting controls. He glanced warily up at the _Eclipse,_ which was wheeling itself around for another shot, its superlaser array charging.

The _Falcon_ and the rest of Epsilon Squadron swooped down the length of the _Vengeance_, weapons at the ready.

* * *

Luke Skywalker ignited his emerald lightsaber, shifting his feet in the dry red Korriban dust to meet Darth Nova's charge. He heard a second lightsaber ignite next to him, and he turned his head to glance over at Mara Jade, who met his eyes over her magenta blade, nodding once.

Nova leaped straight at Luke, his lightsaber gripped in both hands for a powerful overhand smash. Luke angled his blade and caught the smash, gritting his teeth as he bent his knees to absorb the force of the blow.

Immediately, Mara slashed down at Nova's back, but the Sith Lord twisted out of the way, whipping his lightsaber around for a return strike. He and Mara crossed blades three times before Luke advanced, thrusting his weapon at Nova's heart.

With a burst of Force-enhanced speed, Nova slapped Luke's lightsaber away with his own, lashing out with his boot in the same motion to knock Mara backwards. She backed away two steps, avoiding the kick, and lunged back in, whirling her blade in a looping spiral pattern at Nova.

The Sith Lord gestured with his free hand, and one of the fallen Sith warriors' lightsabers leaped into his hand. He activated the blade and, moving with deadly agility, whirled both lightsabers through defensive patterns, holding them both at bay.

Over the humming and sparking of their lightsabers, Luke heard continuing blaster fire behind them as the surviving Royal Guards, stormtroopers, and Malysa Kolos engaged the remaining Sith warriors.

Luke and Mara kept Nova busy, attacking too frequently to allow the Sith Lord to use the Force against them. This duel was purely down to lightsaber skills now.

The Force flowed strongly between Luke and Mara joining them in a bond so deep that they moved and almost thought as one, needing no words to communicate.

Darth Nova wove a web of scarlet light with his lightsabers, whipping his blades through patterns so rapid they were as much offensive as defensive. He caught one of Luke's slashes on his right blade, then slashed up at the young Jedi's head with his left.

Luke jerked his head out of the way, and in the pause this provided, Mara advanced, sweeping her blade in a diagonal slash at Nova's torso. The Sith Lord bent his knees and ducked down, angling both blades behind his back to catch Mara's slash, then spun with a sweep kick that knocked Luke's legs out from under him. In the same motion, Nova thrust upward at Mara's chest with one of his lightsabers.

She twisted out of the way, but Nova's blade still came so close it scorched a hole in her tunic above her stomach.

Nova jumped to his feet, sweeping his other blade around at her neck, but Mara caught the strike on her blade, shifting it quickly to block his next strike, as well. Luke could see a burn on her stomach through the hole in her tunic, but through their bond he sensed Mara ignoring the pain.

He rolled to his feet, leaping over with a jump strike at Nova, but the Sith Lord caught Luke's blow on one of his lightsabers, deflecting Mara's next strike away with his other weapon. Nova tensed his legs and hurled himself into a long back-flip over the mound of rubble behind which Luke and Mara had taken cover, forcing them to advance around it.

They went in opposite directions, circling around from both sides, but Nova took advantage of the momentary pause to launch a powerful concussive blast at Mara, which knocked her backwards several meters to land at the feet of one of the Sith warriors, who stabbed down with her lightsaber.

Luke had to shift himself to defend against Nova's assault, but at the back of his mind he sensed Mara leaping to her feet to engage her new opponent.

Alone, Luke could only defend as Nova battered him with both his lightsabers and a powerful mental attack through the Force, trying to overwhelm his shields. The young Jedi let the Force guide his hands, angling his lightsaber to catch what blows he could and twisting his body to avoid those he could not.

After a few moments, Luke gathered the Force to himself and released it in a tremendous telekinetic push against his opponent. Nova sailed backwards through the air, but midway through his tumble he exerted the Force to steady his descent and landed on both feet, arms spread for balance.

Luke charged, going on the offensive now. His single blade whirled around and through both of Darth Nova's, moving faster and faster as Luke worked to overcome his opponent's defenses.

Nova crossed his lightsabers to catch one of Luke's strikes, and then, holding the young Jedi back with one blade, opened his fingers to send out more Force Lightning.

Luke tried to twist aside to dodge the blast, but they were too close together and most of the lightning hit him anyway. He stumbled back, crying out as fire raced through every nerve. He sensed Mara trying to get past her opponent to help him, but there were too many Sith between her and Luke.

Finally, Luke tripped on a chunk of rubble and fell to the ground, his clothes smoking from the assault. Nova deactivated one of his blades and clipped it to his belt, slowly stalking forward to strike again.

"_Stand firm!_" a voice said within his mind.

He saw a flash of Obi-Wan's face, and along with it, Luke felt as if a great wave of light swept through him, washing away the pain.

Nova's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he barely had time to snatch his second lightsaber from his belt before Luke leaped to his feet and ignited his own weapon, bringing it around in a long, curving slash.

The Sith Lord caught the strike, but Luke was already angling his blade to strike again, spinning to sweep the ruby lightsabers out of the way. He delivered a solid kick to the center of Nova's chest, knocking the Starkiller back a few steps, and he charged again, reversing his grip on his lightsaber to stab down at the Sith Lord's chest.

Darth Nova crossed his lightsabers again and halted the blade, but the tip of Luke's emerald weapon came so close to his heart that it burned a hole in his uniform. Luke redoubled his efforts, straining with all the strength his muscles could provide to force his blade downwards another few centimeters, but Nova's muscles bulged within his own sleeves, holding him back.

Finally, Nova swept one of his lightsabers at Luke's chest, trying to cut him in half, but Luke pulled himself back, escaping with nothing more than another hole in his loose-fitting tunic.

"Your father's fate does not have to be your own," Nova said as he backed away a pace, building momentum for another charge. He slammed both his blades repeatedly against Luke's, trying to wrench the emerald blade from the young Jedi's hands. "Join with me, become my new apprentice, and I will show you power such as you have never dreamed!"

Luke spun to the side, avoiding the thrust of one blade as he parried the slash of another. Behind him, he heard the whine of repulsorlifts, and through the Force he felt the powerful surge of a familiar presence.

Both he and Nova glanced behind to see Vader's shuttle hovering over the end of the valley with Vader himself standing atop it, a lightsaber in his hand.

With a long, somersaulting flip, Vader launched himself from the roof of his shuttle to land next to his son, landing on one knee with one hand on the ground to brace himself.

In his other hand, Luke saw, the lightsaber hilt was not the black of the Sith Master's usual weapon, but gleaming chrome. When his father stood and ignited the blade, a sky-blue beam extended out with a sharp _snap-hiss_.

"I will never join you," Luke said to Nova, raising his lightsaber. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Vader looked over at his son, mixed emotions on his face, but raised the weapon he had wielded as Anakin Skywalker into a mirrored position.

"Very well," said Nova. "You can both die, then."

Dropping his lightsabers so that the blades sank into the ground, he raised both hands and unleashed a twisting rope of lightning from each palm. Father and son caught the lightning on their blades, bracing themselves against the assault, and as one, charged at Nova.

Nova held out his hands, and his weapons leaped back into his palms as Luke and Vader swung their blades at him simultaneously. He caught both strikes, crossing his blades to strike back and then uncrossing them to strike again, backing up a pace. He shifted to the side to avoid Vader's next thrust, then spun to slam both blades against Luke's lightsaber. Luke allowed the force of the blades to move his lightsaber out and down, but he spun with the movement to bring his blade back in a looping counterstrike.

Nova ducked under Luke's slash, crossing his blades in an X to catch Vader's overhand smash above his head.

Father and son moved again to engage their mutual enemy, lightsabers moving with furious speed.

* * *

Several dozen meters away, a pale-haired Sith warrior stealthily moved around the edge of the battlefield, intending to circle around behind Mara Jade and cut her down while she was distracted with his fellow Sith.

But as he stepped over Tamith Kai's prone body, one of the Dathomiran warrior's hands shot out and seized his ankle.

The platinum-haired Sith let out a startled curse that turned into an agonized scream as Tamith Kai drained the life from him with the Force, ripping the energy she needed to heal her wound from his body. The ebony-haired warrior grabbed the front of her unfortunate ally's robes and pulled herself to her feet. As he stared at her in disbelief, she drained the last of his energy, not even bothering to look down as his corpse slumped to the ground.

Tamith Kai looked down at the hole in her chest, gritting her teeth as she accelerated her body's healing process with the Force, using the energy she had drained from the Sith at her feet. The lightsaber wound sealed over, fading into an angry black-and-red burn as she focused on healing the internal damage.

She was exhausted, still weak from keeping herself alive with the Force, and her reserves were utterly spent. Rage flowed through her, building up her strength again, but Tamith Kai knew it would be unwise to charge at Jade again. The other woman was more skilled with a lightsaber, the Dathomiran grudgingly admitted to herself, so if she wanted to avoid a repeat of the end of their last round, she would have to plan this carefully.

Tamith Kai settled for sending a hateful glare down at Jade where the traitor fought her fellow Sith alongside the Emperor's guards and the other traitor, Kolos. She looked over at where Lord Nova fought both Vader and Skywalker at once, holding them at bay for now.

But, she knew, even her master could not hold off two other Force-users as powerful as himself forever.

Slowly, Tamith Kai looked back over her shoulder at where the Emperor's shuttle hovered, its boarding ramp still down, and a grin spread across her face as she thought of a plan.

* * *

Leia watched through the viewport above her turret in the _Millennium Falcon_ as the huge _Eclipse_ fired its main weapon again, the deadly green bolt lancing out to slice the _Night Hammer_ almost in half. With terrible slowness, the Super Star Destroyer buckled, then rocked with multiple explosions as its two halves drifted apart. Other ships scrambled to get out of the way, trying frantically to avoid the freely drifting wreckage.

She had never seen such sheer destructive power before, and she was both aghast and impressed. If Vader possessed a weapon like this, why had he never used it before? His Star Destroyers, both _Imperial_ and _Executor_-class, were capable of incredible destruction, but this titan could wreak devastation on an almost unimaginable scale. What would happen if this superweapon was turned upon a planet's surface? Vader could scour a city from existence with one calculated blow, effectively silencing his enemies with a minimum of effort.

Leia watched as dozens of ships swarmed for the _Eclipse_, racing madly to eliminate the Emperor's secret weapon before it could bring more destruction upon their fleet.

Isard's _Vengeance_ moved in an attempt to join the charge, weapons blazing, but as Leia watched, the _Executor_ slowly spun on its axis, moving so that its dorsal hull and the majority of its weapons emplacements were parallel to the _Vengeance_.

Once the _Executor_ was upside-down from her perspective, it opened fire, ruthlessly tearing into Isard's vessel like it had so many of her other ships. The _Vengeance_ trained all of its weapons onto its former sister ship, though, and Isard gave as good as she got; explosions bloomed out from _Executor_'s hull as some of the _Vengeance_'s shots made it through its shields.

The two titanic vessels continued to pound one another with wave after wave of turbolaser fusillades, slamming bolt after bolt into each other's hulls at point-blank range. The view outside Leia's turret spun as Han madly dodged turbolaser bolts, still doggedly leading his squadron for the _Vengeance_'s bridge. Two Interceptors and an X-wing were too slow to avoid several of the raining bolts, and vanished in balls of flame.

Leia fired her turret repeatedly at the swarming TIE fighters launched from _Vengeance'_s hangar bays, working in concert with Winter in the ventral turret to keep the enemy vessels away from the _Falcon_ and _Executor_'s TIE Bombers.

"_Two from the left,_" Winter's voice said calmly through her headset.

Leia swiveled, aimed, and fired, sending red bolts of fire out at the enemy fighters.

An errant turbolaser bolt smashed into the _Falcon_'s starboard rear side, flipping the ship end over end as Han and Chewbacca wrestled with the controls, straining to bring their ship back under control. Leia heard an ominous thumping noise from deep within the ship, and suddenly her nostrils were filled with acrid smoke.

Her eyes streaming, Leia pulled off her headset and scrambled, coughing, out of her turret's chair and down the ladder. The ship's wild gyrations tore her hands away from the ladder's rungs, and Leia tumbled into the main hold, landing heavily on the deckplates before sliding over to crash into the back of the acceleration couch.

"_Chewie, go see what that is," _Han's voice said over the intership comm. "_Leia, get up here!"_

Leia braced herself against the back of the acceleration couch, trying to keep her balance as Han slung his ship around and between the continuing storm of turbolaser blasts. She was about to lurch away from the couch and scramble down the passageway to the cockpit when she spotted a hand reaching up from the ventral turret well, smeared with soot and blood.

She allowed the ship's next violent swerve to throw her across the compartment, slowing herself with the Force as she slid over to the turret well. Leia grabbed Winter's hand and used both the Force and her own strength to haul her friend up into the main hold.

Coughing violently, her white hair and uniform stained and streaked with soot, Winter nodded her thanks as she pulled herself further into the hold. "Turret… overloaded," she rasped, bringing up one hand to massage her throat. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, Leia saw.

Leia paused only long enough to grab one of the emergency medkits out of a storage compartment on the wall, then pulled Winter along with her to the cockpit. Chewbacca passed them on their way in, growling to himself in his language as he snatched his box of tools out of another compartment.

As Leia and Winter entered the cockpit, she glanced back to see Chewbacca spraying foam from a handheld extinguisher into the turrets, where bright tongues of fire now licked at the walls from the ventral well.

"The turrets are gone," Leia reported as she sank into the huge copilot's chair. She handed the medkit back to Winter as she took over for Chewbacca, running her eyes over the status board.

"Great," Han said between clenched teeth as he rolled the _Falcon_ to one side. "We still got… missile launchers… don't we?"

Leia looked down at the status board. "Yes," she said, placing her hands on the controls.

"Give 'em a full spread when I say!" Han shouted, aiming the _Falcon_ at the _Vengeance'_s command tower.

Leia curled her hands around the firing controls, letting her eyes fall half-closed in concentration as she gathered the Force around herself.

* * *

Isard winced as sparks erupted from a station nearby. The bridge lights flickered and dimmed, multiple alarms wailing as the _Executor_'s barrage took its toll.

"Prepare for maximum acceleration!" Isard shouted back at the bridge crew, her voice rough from the smoke flooding into the bridge.

"Director?" the helmsman said confusedly, staring up at her.

"We're going to ram them!" Ysanne shouted, her eyes blazing with fury.

The _Vengeance_ couldn't take much more of this, she knew. But she was _damned_ if she wasn't going to take Thrawn with her!

"Incoming ship!" the sensor officer called over the screeching alarms.

Isard whirled back toward the bridge viewports, just in time to see the _Millennium Falcon_ approaching with reckless speed.

* * *

"Fire!" Han shouted.

Leia squeezed the firing controls, launching a full spread of concussion missiles directly at the _Vengeance_'s bridge.

* * *

The Director's eyes widened in horror as the missiles careened in at her, joined by multiple torpedoes launched from the X-wings accompanying the Corellian freighter.

Ysanne Isard screamed in frustrated defiance until the missiles smashed into the bridge viewports and the resulting explosion completely obliterated her Super Star Destroyer's command tower.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Wild Karrde_, Lando Calrissian let out a whoop as he saw the _Vengeance'_s command tower explode. "Way to go, Han!" he cheered.

In the command chair next to him, the smuggler captain Talon Karrde grinned broadly beneath his dark beard. Several of his bridge crew whooped as well, watching as the decapitated _Vengeance_ slowly listed to one side, drifting down and away from the _Executor_.

Above them, the _Eclipse_ lashed out with its superlaser and decimated half a dozen Star Destroyers with its massive beam, damaging twice as many others with the resultant explosion and debris cloud.

Karrde leaned forward, sharp eyes flicking back and forth between the bridge viewports and the tactical display mounted next to the arm of his chair. "All Alliance vessels, this is Karrde," he said. "_Razor's Kiss_ is using her tractor beams to try and sling what's left of the _Night Hammer_ at the _Eclipse_. Get in there and stop her!"

The _Wild Karrde_'s turbolasers fired again and again as it soared at the head of a formation of smugglers' vessels toward the enormous Imperial ship.

A direct hit from one of the turbolasers on the _Razor's Kiss_ rocked the _Wild Karrde_, and sparks sprayed out from the pilot's console. The pilot cried out in pain and slumped from his chair, collapsing to the deck.

Even before Karrde could ask, Lando ducked into the pilot's chair, waving away the smoke as his hands flew over the controls. The console was hot beneath his fingers, but still functional. Lando glanced back once as one of the other crewmembers dragged the pilot back out of the way and helped him onto a stretcher held by another crewman, then returned his attention to flying.

"Almost there!" he called over his shoulder to the _Wild Karrde_'s captain.

"_Etherway_ and _Starry Ice_, lock cannons on tractor beam emplacements and launch a full spread of torpedoes on my order," said Karrde.

Lando pushed the vessel for all it was worth, accelerating wildly toward the sole remaining Super Star Destroyer still under enemy control. "We're in range!" he reported.

Talon Karrde leaned forward in his seat, eyes locked on the approaching Imperial vessel. "Fire!" he ordered.

Dozens of blaster bolts, missiles, and torpedoes flocked out toward the tractor beam emplacements on the _Razor's Kiss_.

As Lando watched anxiously, the tractor beams flickered out under the resultant explosions, and the forward half of the _Night Hammer_ drifted upwards, still moving towards the _Eclipse_ but a good deal more slowly than was the captain of the _Razor's Kiss_' intention.

The _Eclipse_ fired its superlaser again and obliterated the hulk well before impact. Lando wrestled with the controls, trying to keep the _Wild Karrde_ steady as they weathered the shockwave from the explosion. He dodged chunks of wreckage, some of which were bigger than the smuggling vessel itself, and glanced back at its captain, who sat with his hands gripping the arms of his chair tightly.

"Keep going!" Karrde ordered. "Let's take out her engines before she can recover!"

The smuggling ships pressed on, dodging fireballs and turbolaser bolts as they swooped down toward their goal.

* * *

Han Solo choked on the smoke pouring into the cockpit from all the damaged systems on his freighter, seeking any safe place to land.

The _Executor_'s hangar bay beckoned, and he accelerated towards it with all that was left of his damaged engines. The _Falcon_'s engines whined and strained as he twisted the ship through another series of wild maneuvers, dodging flying laser bolts and the crowd of fighters even now engaged in fierce dogfights around the wreckage of the _Vengeance_.

With a sigh of relief that turned to a coughing fit halfway through, Han got his clearance from the officer on deck in the hangar bay and set his ship down, deactivating all systems as quickly as he could.

Pulling Leia and Winter along behind him, Han dashed for the hatch and slapped the controls. As the ramp lowered, blessedly cool air flooded into the main hold.

An Imperial firefighting crew rushed up the ramp as soon as it hit the deck, extinguishers in hand, and Han left them to it, stumbling down the ramp and out into the stark, brightly lit hangar bay. Behind him came Leia, Winter, and Chewbacca, who stopped only long enough to grab a breath mask before going back in to lock down the damaged systems. The two women moved away from the smoking freighter, coughing on the smoke still billowing from the hatchway.

Han leaned against the hull of his starship, watching the battle outside through the force-field at the mouth of the cavernous hangar bay.

* * *

Tamith Kai sprinted through the battlefield toward the end of the Valley of the Dark Lords, intent on the shuttle hovering a few meters beyond the edge of the cliff.

With a long, Force-enhanced leap, Tamith Kai cleared the edge of the cliff and landed heavily on the boarding ramp below the shuttle's cockpit. Fire flared within her chest, radiating out from her wound, but the Dathomiran warrior pushed the pain aside and hauled herself to her feet, scrambling up the ramp and inside the shuttle.

She turned and ran into the cockpit, where she found a blue-and-white astromech droid at the controls, a computer probe extended into a port on the console.

Tamith Kai ignited her lightsaber, moving forward to smash the droid away from the console, but the astromech's domed head swiveled back to regard her and it shrieked in electronic terror, rapidly withdrawing its probe from the port.

The Sith warrior lashed out with her lightsaber, but the droid opened a panel on its head and sprayed a cloud of flame retardant at her. Tamith Kai stumbled back, coughing on the fumes, and squinted through the cloud, trying to see the droid so that she could destroy it.

Whistling and bleeping to itself in panic, the astromech pushed past her and raced back into the rear compartment, where it careened down the ramp and out into the open air.

Tamith Kai leaped forward to grab the controls of the shuttle before it could go out of control, using the Force to push the cloud of retardant back out of the cockpit so that she could see. She recognized the barrel shape of the astromech using rockets mounted in its legs to fly to the relative safety of the valley floor, and she sneered, reaching for the firing controls to blast the little annoyance out of the air.

But, by the time she located them, the droid had already landed and moved out of the way, rolling as fast as it could behind a fallen pillar to use as cover. She dismissed it from her mind, returning to her original plan.

The Force surged in alarm, directing her attention downwards, and Tamith Kai spit a curse in her native language as she saw Mara Jade sprinting determinedly toward the shuttle. As Jade leaped, Tamith Kai hauled up on the controls and pulled the shuttle back out of reach.

She grinned in satisfaction as Jade missed her jump and started to fall down past the edge of the cliff, but her grin turned to a scowl as she saw Malysa Kolos hold out a hand and pull Jade back over the ground with the Force. Tamith Kai fired a burst from the shuttle's blaster cannons at Kolos, driving her back over two fallen pillars that had collapsed against one another.

_Master,_ she sent through the Force to Darth Nova, _get to higher ground, and I will pick you up. Let us trap Vader and his brat here, so that we may return with more warriors to finish him off._

She sensed angry reluctance from her master, but he conceded her point. _We will need no additional warriors_, Nova 'said' with dark amusement. _Tell the rest of the warriors to keep Vader and his guards busy; I will ensure that none but us leave this place alive._

As Tamith Kai realized her master's intention, a slow grin spread across her face. Working quickly, she moved to carry out his orders.

* * *

A well-timed blast from the shuttle's cannons knocked Luke and Vader away from Darth Nova, and the Starkiller immediately withdrew as fast as he could, leaping with long Force-enhanced bounds higher and higher up the side of the cliff until he perched atop one of the statues above the Dark Lords' tombs.

Closing his eyes, Nova stretched out instead through the Force, sending tendrils of his will higher and higher, stretching out into space.

He ripped; he tore; he snatched and he smashed and he wrenched the nuclear fires of the system's star to his will, twisting its inner furnace back upon itself.

As the Dark Side raged within him, fueling his exertions, Nova threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.

* * *

"No!" Darth Vader cried, staring up at his former apprentice atop the Sith statue. "Stop him!"

Luke sprinted for the base of the statue, running alongside his father, but four Sith warriors leaped in to block their way, brandishing ruby lightsabers.

Vader roared with rage, charging in with lightning crackling around one hand as he moved to smash his former students out of his way. Two of them dodged the charge, spinning to bring their lightsabers to bear on his back.

Luke could not help, for he was busy with the other two Sith, a blonde-haired woman and a dark-haired man. The woman swept her hand out, orange ropes of energy twisting from her fingers, but Luke spun aside, seizing her comrade with the Force to hurl him into the path of the energy.

The Sith man screamed in pain as his companion's attack drained the life from his body. The Sith woman shoved him aside, straining to get at Luke, but even as she advanced, she cried out and slumped over her comrade's body, a smoking wound in her back.

Luke looked up to see one of the Royal Guards, armed with a sniper rifle, nod slightly to him over the scope of his weapon. Luke raised his lightsaber in salute before he turned to help his father.

Far above them, the shuttle swooped toward Darth Nova, boarding ramp fully extended.

Vader slashed his lightsaber through the body of one of his opponents and blasted the other in the face with a powerful stream of Force Lightning. He ran forward with Luke at his side, moving to ascend the cliff, but he was too late; even as they approached, Nova leaped from the top of the statue to the shuttle.

"Rifle!" Mara called to the Royal Guardsman.

In one smooth movement, she clipped her lightsaber to her belt with one hand and caught the sniper rifle with the other. She brought her hand up to the stock of the rifle, raised it, and pressed her eye to the scope, tracking the shuttle across the sky.

Luke sent as much energy as he could muster to the woman he loved, doing as much as he could to help bolster her reflexes.

Time seemed to slow down as Mara smoothly moved the barrel of the sniper rifle, drawing deeply upon the Force.

She squeezed the trigger.

A red bolt leaped from the muzzle of the rifle, soared high into the sky and…

Burned straight through Darth Nova's heart.

The Sith Lord tottered for a moment, and then his corpse toppled backwards out of the shuttle, tumbling through the air to land out of sight on the cliff high above them. Luke sensed the flare within the Force as Nova died, watching as a bright blue flash leaped up from the place where his body had landed.

Luke felt like exulting, but his spirits dropped again when the shuttle climbed madly up into the atmosphere, stranding them there.

"He's sent the sun into supernova!" Vader called to the rest of the group.

"Can we stop it?" Luke asked desperately.

Vader shook his head grimly. "No."

Luke sensed Malysa approaching. "What can we-" Her words cut off in a startled, pained scream, and Luke whirled.

Malysa stood a few paces away, a shaft of red light spearing through her chest. Behind her stood a battered, bloody Sith warrior, the last one still standing. The blond-haired man viciously yanked his blade from Malysa's body and shoved her aside, breathing heavily.

"No!" one of the stormtroopers behind the man screamed, yanking off his helmet.

Luke looked past the Sith warrior to see the stormtrooper he recognized as TK-421 throw his helmet aside. His hair was jet-black and slicked back against his scalp with some kind of oil, but it was his face that attracted Luke's attention; TK-421 had Kuati features so similar to Malysa's that he had to be a relative.

With a wordless scream of rage, TK-421 switched his blaster rifle over to full automatic and sprayed the Sith warrior with a vengeful hail of red blaster bolts. The man jerked with dozens of impacts before he finally toppled over backward, collapsing onto the dry red ground.

The rest of the group rushed to Malysa's side. Luke got to her first, but TK-421 shoved him away, dropping to his knees next to her as he cradled her head in his arms.

"Malysa!" the trooper said desperately. "Hang on, Malysa. Hang on!"

Malysa peered up at him in surprise. "Tyraj?" she said weakly.

"I'm here!" said Tyraj. "Just hang on, Lysa, I'm here." He turned frantically to Luke, his dark eyes pleading. "Help her, please!"

"She doesn't have much time," said Mara, kneeling on Malysa's other side across from Luke as both of them stretched out with the Force, sending healing energies into the young woman.

Next to them, Darth Vader stood staring grimly into the sky. "None of us do," he said quietly.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks as always to my beta readers, and a special thanks to the reviewers; 10 reviews in _one day_. Thanks, guys! :D


	9. In This Moment

**Nine**  
(In This Moment)

The skies above Naboo were filled with explosions, wreckage, and hundreds of ships racing back and forth in furious battle.

The wreckage of the _Vengeance_ still burned, drifting slowly away as its lights died one by one. The grand schemes of the Director died with it, leaving only a sense of defeat and shame at the mutiny.

On the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer _Razor's Kiss_, Admiral Lorth Needa heaved a resigned sigh as he watched the _Executor_, the _Eclipse,_ and the Rebel ships mercilessly chase the remains of Director Isard's once-mighty fleet around the Naboo system.

"Admiral, a large group of ships is approaching our rear quarter," the junior sensor officer called up to him from the port crew pit. "I believe they are targeting our engines."

Needa made up his mind in that moment. "Give me broad-band," he ordered. "I want this to go out to all ships, even the Rebels."

"Yes, sir," said the comm officer.

* * *

Admiral Piett stood on the command walkway in _Executor_'s bridge, next to Grand Admiral Thrawn. He turned his head as the comm officer looked up at him and said, "Transmission incoming from the _Razor's Kiss_, sir. It's addressed to all ships."

"Put it through," Piett ordered.

"_This is Admiral Lorth Needa of the Imperial Star Destroyer_ Razor's Kiss_,"_ Needa's voice said from the bridge speakers. "_As the surviving senior officer, I hereby take command of the Director's fleet. All ships, stand down. I repeat, stand down._"

Outside, the storm of blaster fire slowly trickled away as first the mutineers' ships ceased fire, then the Alliance commanders ordered their vessels to stand down, as well.

Piett listened in anticipation, hardly daring to believe what he knew he would hear next.

"_Grand Admiral Thrawn_," Needa said, his voice heavy with resignation.

"Here, Admiral," Thrawn said.

A life-size hologram of Admiral Needa flickered into being several meters in front of them on the command walkway.

"_As commander of the fleet,_" Needa began, his posture stiff, with his fists clenched at his sides, "_I hereby surrender these vessels unconditionally to your authority."_

Thrawn paused for only a moment, taking a few steps forward along the walkway with his hands clasped behind his back. "Your surrender is accepted, Admiral," he said finally.

The Grand Admiral turned to pass his gaze across the bridge crew. "Thrawn to all Imperial ships," he said. "Deactivate your weapons systems and await further orders."

"Is it really over?" Piett said excitedly.

Thrawn nodded once. "It is over, Admiral," he replied. "But our most difficult task is yet to come."

Looking out at the wreckage of hundreds of ships drifting outside, Piett took a slow, deep breath. Yes, the fighting was over here in this system, but the rest of the Empire remained to be retaken from the conspirators.

And still, there had been no word from the Emperor.

* * *

On Korriban, Luke Skywalker knelt at the side of Malysa Kolos, trying to heal her wound. He could feel her slipping away, though, despite his best efforts and those of Mara Jade.

Malysa's brother Tyraj watched them both anxiously, cradling her head in his lap. Around them stood the surviving stormtroopers and Royal Guards that had accompanied them here, watching as the Jedi tried to heal the young woman.

In the back of his mind, Luke could sense Korriban's sun roiling, its nuclear furnace irreparably damaged. It was only a matter of time before the sun went supernova, taking the rest of the system with it.

But even as Luke began to feel the first creeping fingers of despair wrapping around his heart, he heard the powerful rumble of starship engines.

Astonished, Luke and the others stared up into the sky at the rapidly approaching shape of a ship. As it drew closer, Luke recognized the elongated oval and stabilizer fins of Boba Fett's _Slave I_, and he let his surprise show plainly on his face.

He glanced over at Mara to see her with a similarly surprised expression. "If you'd asked me who was the last person in the galaxy I thought would show up here…" she said, eyes locked on the incoming craft.

"Quickly, move!" Vader barked to his guards.

As _Slave I_ rapidly descended through the atmosphere, pivoting to touch down on the blood-red ground, the Royal Guards and stormtroopers gathered in formation around the Emperor, two of them hanging back to help carry Malysa. R2-D2 twittered to himself in electronic relief as he rolled over to them, stopping next to Vader.

"_Get in!_" Fett's voice blared from external comm speakers on the outside of his starship. "_The sun is going to go nova any second!_"

Tyraj Kolos was the last up the ramp, his helmet in one hand and his sister's lightsaber in the other. "We're in!" he shouted as he ducked through the hatchway.

Fett's starship was already lifting free of the ground, accelerating with a roar from its powerful engines.

Inside, Luke braced himself against the scarred metal wall of the main hold, holding on against the inertial forces threatening to pull his skull down out through his feet. As the inertial dampeners finally caught up with _Slave I_'s acceleration, Luke followed his father up the ladder to the cockpit, where the armored bounty hunter sat, adjusting his systems.

"My thanks for your timely arrival, Hunter Fett," Vader said as he slipped into one of the chairs behind the central console.

"You can thank me with a bonus to what Thrawn promised when we get out of here," said Fett, not taking his eyes off his instruments. "It's going to be close."

Luke buckled himself into the other chair. "Are there any other ships nearby?" he asked.

"I passed a shuttle on my way in," Fett said, accelerating his sublight engines with one hand while he prepared the hyperdrive with the other. "Otherwise, my sensors aren't picking up anything. We're the only ones in the system."

"The sun is going critical," Vader said, reading one of the sensor readouts over Fett's shoulder.

Fett turned his helmet to look at the reading himself. "The calculations should be finished before the shockwave hits us."

Behind them, Korriban's sun flared into supernova, so blindingly bright that even though Fett's cockpit windows automatically darkened to near opacity, Luke had to shield his eyes with his hand.

_Slave I_ shook and rattled as Fett pushed his sublight engines far beyond their maximum limits. Still, they were not fast enough.

Luke looked over at his father, and by unspoken agreement they joined their power to shield the hunter's vessel with the Force as the leading edge of the shockwave rushed up behind them.

"Hyperspace… now!" Fett strained out against the inertial forces, reaching forward to throw the hyperdrive lever.

_Slave I_ leaped into lightspeed, leaving Korriban far behind.

* * *

Far below them, thousands of years of Sith history were obliterated as the shockwave generated by the supernova destroyed the planet Korriban.

The dry, rocky sphere crumbled into billions of fragments, flying apart before the wall of flame and light destroyed them and everything else in the Horuset system.

On hundreds of worlds, as the light from the supernova expanded outward, a bright spot appeared in the sky to rival even the systems' suns in the daytime, a spectacular grave marker for an entire solar system.

* * *

Tyraj Kolos held his sister's hand in his own, tossing away his armored gauntlet. In this moment, as she lay dying next to him, Tyraj regretted not telling her sooner that he served on the same vessel she did. It had been foolish, he fiercely rebuked himself, not to tell his sister he was here. He had wasted four years he could have spent with her, out of some suspicion that she may not have been as loyal to the Emperor as she appeared.

Her true loyalties no longer mattered to him. What mattered was that she was his sister, and now she was almost gone.

Mara Jade knelt on his sister's other side, eyes closed in concentration as she held her hands over the wound, but Tyraj could tell that the prognosis was not good.

As if she had sensed his anxiousness, Mara opened her eyes and looked over at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "Healing was never one of my strongest abilities. I never had much use for it, except on myself."

Tyraj set his mouth in a firm line, nodding gravely as he looked back down at Malysa. She had slipped into unconsciousness, and he feared that her fingers were even now growing cold between his own.

Mara finally sat back on her heels, lowering her hands to her sides. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, looking up at him sadly. "I'm sorry," she said. "She's gone."

Skywalker's astromech droid whistled sadly, leaning forward slightly on its stumpy legs as if bowing its head in grief.

Tyraj clamped down on his emotions with the iron will given to him by his training, his face hardening into a grim mask. Though he heard footsteps on the cockpit ladder behind him, he did not turn.

"Is she…?" Luke asked quietly, walking over to them.

Mara nodded silently. Luke reached out his hand, and Mara took it, getting to her feet.

At a second, heavier set of footsteps along the bare metal floor of Boba Fett's vessel, Tyraj suddenly stood and whirled to face the Emperor. "Lord Vader, please," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Is there anything you can do for her?"

Darth Vader stared down at his sister's body for a long moment, until finally he gave a slight nod. He looked over at Skywalker and Jade. "Luke, Mara, I will need your assistance."

Skywalker nodded. He and Jade arranged themselves on either side of Malysa, while Vader moved to kneel by her head.

As Tyraj watched, the three of them joined hands and closed their eyes in concentration, drawing deeply upon the mysterious power they wielded. Tyraj could see nothing, but he felt as though a crackling static charge permeated the air, a bright light whirling around the three of them that was just beyond the limits of his vision.

They sat like this for several long minutes, none of them moving, and Tyraj began to pace impatiently. Just as he began to despair, thinking that they had failed, he noticed the wound in his sister's chest seal over and rapidly fade, healing at a vastly accelerated rate.

Tyraj's spirit soared as his sister suddenly sucked in a deep breath and sat up, clutching one hand to the spot on her chest where the wound had been as her eyes shot open. As Luke moved aside, Tyraj dropped to his knees beside his sister and pulled her into a tight embrace, fighting back tears of joy. He felt her arms go around him in return, and he found himself laughing in relief.

"Thank you," he said to Skywalker and Jade.

Then, remembering himself and his Imperial discipline, Tyraj straightened and brought his hand up into a salute as he faced his Emperor, forcing his face back into a soldier's mask.

"Thank you, sir," he said. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please tell me."

Vader's expression was unreadable, but finally he nodded once in acknowledgment. "Dismissed, trooper," he said. "Go back to your sister."

Tyraj fought the urge to grin, instead turning gravely away from his commander-in-chief to cross back to where Malysa still sat on the deck. When she smiled at him as he approached, his regrets faded away, replaced with a profound sense of relief and lightness of spirit.

* * *

Han Solo paused in repairing the _Millennium Falcon_, watching from his perch atop his beloved freighter as Boba Fett's starship glided into the _Executor_'s hangar bay. The menacing hunting craft hissed and ticked as it cooled down, and Han watched it warily for several moments.

He and his friends had mostly been left alone to fix their ship during the aftermath of the battle, quietly working down in the hangar as Thrawn organized the remnants of the Imperial fleet and began the cleanup, ordering the mutineers to haul the biggest pieces of wreckage out of Naboo airspace while they waited for the Emperor to arrive and pronounce their punishment.

When the hatch opened, the first ones down the ramp were three Royal Guards, their red robes and helmets singed, scorched and filthy with thick red dust. Behind them came several equally battered stormtroopers, blaster rifles held at an angle across their chests, and then the tall dark figure of Darth Vader, whose uniform was also scorched and streaked with red dirt.

Vader seemed to sense Han looking at him, and his eyes passed over the freighter and those working on it, but he said nothing, heading directly out of the hangar with his escort without looking back.

Next out of _Slave I_ came Luke, Mara, R2-D2, Malysa Kolos and a stormtrooper who didn't have his helmet on, and last of all, Boba Fett himself.

Everyone except Fett made their way over to the _Falcon_; the bounty hunter himself paused only long enough to fix Han with a cold look behind the T-slit of his Mandalorian helmet before moving off into the depths of the flagship.

Luke waved up at Han, and the Corellian waved back, shifting himself to the edge of the hull. "Everyone's back in one piece, it seems," he said.

"More or less," Malysa called up to him wryly. She turned to Luke. "I'm going to go to the medical bay."

Luke nodded, waving shortly as she and the stormtrooper left.

"You missed quite a battle, kid," Han called down. "I was there and I _still_ don't believe it happened."

Mara chuckled wryly. "Same goes for us."

Han waved them over. "Well, come on in and tell us about it; we're gonna be here for a while."

* * *

Several hours later, Darth Vader sat alone in his quarters aboard his flagship _Executor_, exerting every ounce of his will to restrain himself from flying into a terrible rage.

Thrawn and the Rebel fleet had triumphed here today, but the damage was done; his Empire was fragmented and broken, splitting into more factions all the time as the remaining admirals and moffs warred with one another, fighting to claim the title the Senate had proclaimed no longer belonged to him.

They could have it, Vader thought bitterly. If they refused to see, refused to rally beneath his banner to present a strong defense against the threat facing them all, then they were no longer worthy of his rulership.

He had tried through more than twenty years of struggle and upheaval to bring back peace, but the stubborn denizens of this galaxy insisted on rebelling against him, insisted on conspiring and plotting and fighting against him.

Staring out of the wide viewport down at his wife's home planet, Vader made his decision. Crossing to the comm unit, he began his preparations.

* * *

The streets of Theed were filled with overjoyed Naboo celebrating the defeat of Isard's fleet and the sparing of their planet. Inside the Royal Palace, the heroes of the Battle of Naboo and the duel at Korriban gathered for their own celebration. Notably absent were any Imperial personnel besides Tyraj Kolos, who stood with his sister wearing an off-duty uniform.

The Alliance leadership had invited the Imperial commanders down to celebrate the declaration of truce with them, but all declined, remaining behind on their vessels in orbit.

Luke sat on a plush couch in one of the enormous halls in the palace with Mara, listening to their friends' conversations around them.

"All right," Han was saying to Lando, "I want to know two things: One, who's Talon Karrde? Two, how'd you get him and all those other people to come here?"

"Well, after that little maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab," Lando replied, grinning, "let's just say quite a few people owed me one. Now, as for Karrde, he's a smuggler, and a damn good one, too. When Jabba died and Vader seized his holdings, Karrde sort of quietly moved in to take over his territory and operations; if you want something done fast and discreet, he's the guy to go to now."

"So how'd you convince a guy like that to come here and risk his neck for us?" Han asked.

Lando's eyes twinkled as he took a sip from his drink. "Professional secret," he said.

Next to Han, Leia smiled as the Corellian chuckled. "Come on," Han said. "How'd you do it?"

Lando took another slow sip of his drink. "Let's just say I've gotten quite a bit better at sabacc since I lost the _Falcon_ to you."

Han frowned amusedly. "Fine, keep your secrets, you old pirate."

Lando chuckled. "_You're_ the pirate, Solo."

Luke smiled at the exchange, leaning back in his seat. Next to him, Mara was also watching the party, content to sit with him and listen.

He glanced up as he saw C-3PO moving towards him through the throng of people, shifting around and through gathered knots of people making conversation. R2-D2 trundled along behind him, whistling and beeping.

"Oh, Master Luke!" Threepio said as he finally arrived at the couch where Luke and Mara sat. "It's the strangest thing."

"What is?" Luke asked.

"The _Executor_, Master Luke. It's gone."

"Gone?" Mara said, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean, gone?"

"It's left the system, I'm afraid. As has that other large ship that arrived to help." Threepio half-turned to gesture back at his companion. "Artoo insists that he has a message for you and Mistress Leia, and another for Mistress Padmé, though I have not been able to locate her yet."

"She's right over there, Threepio," Luke said standing up. "Is there somewhere quieter we can go?"

"I believe there is a balcony at the end of this corridor," Threepio replied.

Luke quickly gathered his mother and sister and headed out to the balcony with Mara and Han, who followed them outside. The night sky bloomed with fireworks, and far below on the streets they could faintly hear the partyers reveling, but up here it was relatively quiet.

"Now what's this about a message?" Threepio said to Artoo once they were all gathered around the droids. Luke and Leia stood on either side of their mother, with Mara and Han standing next to them.

Artoo whistled and tweeted, then leaned forward and activated his miniature holoprojector. In front of them appeared a life-size holographic recording of Darth Vader, dressed in his usual black Imperial uniform and cloak. Luke thought he looked stiff and formal, distinctly uncomfortable, and wished his father was here in person so that he could ask him what he was thinking.

After a long moment of silence, Vader finally began. "_I am leaving_," he said without preamble. "_I am taking my vessel and departing for the Unknown Regions. Luke, please do not try to follow me. Your place is here, with your sister and… your mother. There is much work to be done, and you and Leia are the best suited to provide leadership in what will undoubtedly be a time of great upheaval._

"_I am ordering the forces still loyal to me to enforce my last command as Emperor. They are to ensure that a truce is negotiated between your new Republic and whatever remains of the Empire when the civil war is over. Pestage is devious, and he cannot be trusted, but he can be made to see reason. You may be able to work out some sort of agreement with him to stop the fighting, if only so that he will be free to deal with his own uprisings._

"_There is a storm coming, a threat the likes of which this galaxy has never seen. It is imperative that you work to cease fighting with each other and instead ally yourselves against the coming invasion. If we can present a united front against the invaders, we may yet survive. I am leaving you all the information I have on the Far Outsiders. Please, share it with the galaxy as I should have years ago."_

Vader paused for a moment, seeming to be collecting himself before he began again. "_Leia_," he said, "_I know you have not forgiven me for what I have done, nor do I expect you to._"

Luke glanced over at his sister to find her watching the image with a troubled mix of emotions. Han silently reached over and took her hand, and she squeezed his fingers gratefully.

"_I ask only that you listen,_" Vader went on. "_Do not let your anger consume you, as I let mine. I know that you will never think of me as your father, and that I can never earn your love, but please, let go of your anger. Don't make the same mistakes I did. The Dark Side gives you strength, but it eats away at who you are; don't let yourself follow my path."_

He turned slightly, and Artoo angled the projector so that the image was looking at Luke. "_Luke, my son_," he began, "_to you I leave the same advice I gave to your sister; never allow the Dark Side into your heart. It is… too late for me, but you can still have a future with the ones you love. You are a good person, Luke. Never allow yourself to slip away from that. Remember what I told you on Korriban. Remember the difference between being feared and being respected. Perhaps you will be able to accomplish what I could not, if you guard your heart against the darkness."_

The image turned toward Luke's mother, and there was a noticeable softening of Vader's expression, especially around the eyes. "_Padmé,_" he said, "_I know you can never forgive me for what I did, nor do I deserve to be forgiven, but I just want you to know that… I love you. I always have, and I always will. I have given back the life I took from you, so now do with it as you will. Get to know our children, and watch over them for me while I am gone. I am sorry for all that I have put you through, but I hope that now, without me, you can finally find the happiness you deserve. Goodbye, my angel."_

The image of Vader raised a hand in farewell, and then slowly faded away.

Luke saw tears in his mother's eyes. "Oh, Anakin…" she whispered.

He reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she clasped his hand in thanks, smiling through her tears at him. "Thank you," she said. "Now, please, if you don't mind, I would like to be alone for a little while."

"All right," Luke said. With a glance at the others, he departed, heading back inside.

Just before he closed the door to the balcony, Luke heard his mother say softly, "Please play the message again, Artoo."

Luke paused for just a moment, looking back at his mother, but then turned and went inside with his friends.

* * *

On the edge of known space, the _Executor_ and the _Eclipse_ met for a final rendezvous. Emperor Skywalker met with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Baron Fel in his quarters aboard the flagship.

Soontir Fel, a tall, broad-chested man with close-cropped dark hair and a trim goatee, stood stiffly in his black-and-red Imperial uniform with his hands clasped behind his back, the perfect picture of military posture.

"You are to be commended for your actions during the battle," Vader said, facing the viewport, his back to Fel.

"Thank you, my lord," Fel replied. "I did only my duty as a loyal soldier of the Empire."

"An increasingly rare motive for action," Vader noted, unable to entirely keep the bitterness from his tone. He paused for a long moment. "Do you consider yourself a fair man, Baron Fel?" he asked finally.

"I… suppose so, my lord," Fel replied.

"The _Eclipse_ is an incredible weapon, is it not?" said Vader.

"It is, my lord," Fel said evenly, his voice betraying none of the confusion Vader nevertheless sensed through the Force.

"Do you trust yourself not to misuse it?" Vader asked, finally turning to look at the other man.

Fel met his gaze resolutely. "Yes, my lord," he answered firmly. "It has incredible potential for devastation, and as such must be used with the utmost caution and forethought."

Vader let his eyes bore into the other man's for a long moment, searching out his true feelings with the Force. Fel was a good soldier, as he already knew, an honorable man with strong convictions and a stronger will.

"Then it is yours," Vader said, turning back to the viewport.

"My lord?" Fel asked, surprised.

"The _Eclipse_ is yours," Vader said again. "Use it to unify as much of the Imperial military as you can against the threat we all know is coming. Keep Pestage and the other bureaucrats in line, and ensure that they do not threaten the peace." He turned to glance over his shoulder at Fel. "I am leaving known space," he said, "but I may someday return. If I do, I expect you to have formed a second line of defense in case the Vanguard Fleet fails. The Far Outsiders cannot be allowed to overrun this galaxy."

"Yes, my lord," Fel said.

"Return to your ship, Baron," Vader said, turning back to the window. "And may the Force be with you."

Fel paused ever so slightly in surprise. "And with you as well, my lord," he replied, then turned and left.

Thrawn moved over to stand next to Vader from where he had been standing silently throughout the conversation. "Orders, Lord Vader?"

"Proceed with all possible speed for Vanguard Base Alpha," Vader replied. "Now we hold the line for as long as we can."

"Yes, sir," said Thrawn. Then he, too turned and left, leaving the Dark Lord alone in his quarters.

Vader remained behind, staring out of the viewport for a long time.

* * *

A little while after hearing Vader's message, Leia returned to the balcony to find her mother leaning on the railing, gazing out over the city she called home.

She was about to leave Padmé to her thoughts when her mother said, "He was a good man once."

Leia walked over to the edge of the balcony and joined her mother there.

Padmé looked over at her with a sad smile before continuing. "Anakin never did anything halfway; he was one of those men who saw the world in black and white. Either you were his friend, and he would die to protect you, or you were his enemy, and he would stop at nothing to ensure your destruction."

Leia knew this from having been his enemy for the last several years; Darth Vader was nothing if not determined.

Padmé looked down at her hands, and Leia saw that she held something there, a small necklace made from some kind of carved ivory wood. "He could be so gentle," she said. One corner of her mouth lifted in a small, sad smile. "He had this… sense of humor, a way to keep you from worrying about what was going on, no matter how bad it would get."

"Han is the same way," Leia said.

Padmé smiled. She held up the necklace so Leia could see it. "He carved this for me when we first met. I've always had it with me, ever since." She looked over at Leia. "I know it's hard for you to accept, because you've only ever known him as Darth Vader, but Anakin was one of the kindest men I've ever known. He… he would have made a good father, if he hadn't…"

Leia nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting this. She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again, looking out at the lights of the city.

"I can forgive Anakin Skywalker," she said finally. She looked over at her mother. "I can accept that he was once a good man, from what you have told me."

Padmé sighed, looking back down at the necklace. "I don't think he can forgive himself," she said. She sighed again. "I wish I hadn't said those things to him. I wish I hadn't called him a monster."

"I said things to him I regret, as well," Leia agreed. "I was angry with him, and I couldn't see past my own hatred for him to see what he was really trying to do." She reached out to take her mother's hand. "Luke is right. There is still good in him. I just wish I could have seen it before it was too late."

Padmé looked up at the stars overhead, into which her husband had vanished. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Leia looked up to the stars, also. "Maybe, someday, when he can give up his anger… Anakin will come back."

Padmé's hand squeezed hers. "I hope so," she said quietly.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: An epilogue follows. Thanks for reading!


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Three weeks after the Battle of Naboo and the destruction of Korriban, Baron Soontir Fel's faction of the Empire and the newly formed New Republic signed an official peace treaty on Alderaan.

Both New Republic X-wings and Imperial TIE fighters flew in formation above the elegant white spires of the Royal Palace in Aldera City, blending their formation as a symbol of the truce between their governments.

Luke Skywalker stood beside the long table set out in the throne room of the palace, dressed in brown and tan robes. Mara Jade stood next to him, dressed similarly, though her robes were a darker brown. Leia Organa Skywalker reflected both her position as a member of the new Jedi Order and as a member of the Royal Family of Alderaan by dressing in white robes, her lightsaber gleaming at her side.

The young Jedi passed his gaze around the long table, looking at the assortment of dignitaries both seated at the table itself and standing behind it. Baron Fel himself sat across from Mon Mothma, his signing instrument ready. The Imperial officer's black-and-red uniform was crisply pressed, with nary a wrinkle to be seen, and his posture was equally stiff and formal.

Using the tremendous tactical advantage of the _Eclipse_, the surviving elements of Isard's fleet, and the loyalist elements of the Imperial civil war, Baron Fel had quickly taken control of most of the Empire's territory. Sate Pestage and his supporters had burrowed in on Coruscant and other Core planets, and would likely continue to resist for a number of years, but for now, Soontir Fel had taken up the position of Emperor in all but name. His first act as the nominal leader of the Empire was to declare a truce with the Alliance and begin negotiations for a formal treaty, as per Lord Vader's last orders.

He had withdrawn all Imperial troops from Alderaan, which would shortly become the New Republic's capital as the Alliance made the transition from rebellion to government. Thousands of sentients had flocked to Alderaan to witness the historic treaty, and trillions more watched through the HoloNet cameras mounted at various places around the throne room.

At an unobtrusive cue from the news team covering the event, signaling that they were ready, Baron Fel leaned forward and signed the treaty. He turned the document around and extended it to Mon Mothma, who reached out and signed it with her own instrument.

The crowd applauded as Baron Fel and Mon Mothma stood and shook hands, contrasted in her elegant white gown and reserved jewelry, and his crisp uniform and black leather gloves.

Luke himself felt a deep sense of peace. The worst was over, and the greatest threats to peace were gone for now. Finally, the galaxy had a chance to catch its breath and recover, for a few years at least.

Luke barely listened to the ensuing round of speeches from the various gathered dignitaries, his mind on other things. Over the last three weeks, he had been intensively studying the files his father had left behind on the Far Outsiders. The best estimates of the Vanguard Fleet reconnaissance teams put the bulk of the invaders' forces at least twenty years from arriving at the edges of the galaxy, but they had gained a number of foothold bases in the Unknown Regions. Grand Admiral Thrawn's people, the Chiss, had formally allied themselves with the Empire and the Vanguard Fleet, and were, for now, keeping the Far Outsiders at bay.

But with trillions more of the invaders on the way, they could not hold the line by themselves forever…

As the observers dispersed to prepare for that evening's formal dinner, Luke drifted off to one of the palace gardens to sit and think. He was joined a few minutes later by Mara, who quietly approached to sit next to him on one of the benches.

"So, Skywalker," she said, her tone light and a bit teasing, "are you planning to rebuild the Jedi Order just the way it was?"

Luke looked over at her to see her smiling, green eyes twinkling mischievously. He smiled himself as he sensed her meaning. "There are a few rules I'm not planning to keep," he murmured, leaning closer to her.

"That's good to hear," she replied softly, grinning again as she reached for him.

As they kissed, Luke felt an odd twinge in the Force, and he saw a vision of the future -_their_ future- and of what they would face together. Challenges, children, friends, enemies, allies, dangers, joys, sorrows; all of it swirled into a sort of living mosaic, flowing around them like a river of light.

One image from the flood stood out to Luke momentarily: he saw himself with a small red-haired child perched on his shoulders, pointing up at the stars as they laughed. In his vision, he saw Mara approaching, and she smiled as she joined them, looking up into the pearled velvet blanket that was the sky.

Back in the palace gardens, Luke smiled at Mara as he reached up to gently caress her cheek. "I love you," he said.

She leaned forward to kiss him again. "I love you, too," she said when they parted. The mischievous glint returned to her eyes. "Now, are you going to do it, or do I have to? I saw the vision, too, you know. Might as well make it official."

Luke laughed lightly. "All right then. Mara Jade, will you marry me?"

Mara smiled, reaching over to take his hand. "Of course I will, Skywalker."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Jade Skywalker," he replied, grinning back.

"Jade Skywalker," Mara said mock-thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that."

Luke laughed again, but glanced over as he sensed someone approaching.

"Me, too," said Han Solo, grinning broadly as he walked into the garden with Leia. "Me and Lando had a bet on how long it would take you two kids to make it official. Looks like he owes me fifty credits." He chuckled, reaching out to clap Luke on the shoulder. "Congratulations, junior."

Leia smiled as she reached over to hug her brother. "I'm so happy for you," she said.

"So, Solo," Mara began, but Han held up a hand.

"Why, yes I am," he said with a wink.

Before anyone could say anything else, he turned to Leia and grinned. "So, Leia Naberrie Skywalker Organa, feel like adding one more to the mouthful?"

"Oh, I don't know," Leia said, her dark eyes twinkling, "that might be too many to remember."

Mara laughed, and Luke had to smile himself. Han reached out to put an arm around Leia's shoulders. "I think you can handle it," he said, still grinning.

"Me, too," Leia replied with her own smile. "Yes, Han Solo, I will marry you," she went on. "Maybe I can finally make a respectable citizen out of you."

"Nah," said Han. "I think you'll end up a scoundrel just like me."

"Maybe," said Leia, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Did you ask her yet?" Lando's voice asked in an exaggerated whisper from the doorway. Luke could hear the smile in the gambler's voice.

"Yeah," Han stage-whispered back with a big grin, his arm still around Leia. "She said she liked you better."

"If only," Lando chuckled, emerging from the doorway. Behind him came the droids, Winter, Chewbacca, and Malysa Kolos and her brother.

Chewbacca bellowed a happy greeting, spreading his furry arms wide as if to encompass all of those he considered his honor family. He swept Leia up in a tremendous hug, lifting her completely off the ground as he growled how happy he was for them. She laughed, patting his furry shoulder as he set her back down.

Overhead, fireworks exploded in celebration of the day's events, glowing brightly against the brilliant red-and-orange sunset.

His mother joined them shortly, smiling as they told her the news.

Padmé folded both Luke and Leia into an embrace. "I'm so proud of you both," she said. "I wish you each the best of happiness."

At another gentle twinge in the Force, Luke looked over at the corner of the gardens by the railing that looked out over the sweeping white city and the majestic snow-capped mountains beyond. There, he saw the flickering, transparent forms of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and a tall human man with long brown hair and a beard.

"Master Qui-Gon," said Malysa, moving to stand next to Luke.

"You have both done well," the Jedi Master replied in a deep, rich voice, smiling.

"The road ahead of you is a long one," said Obi-Wan, "but you will see it through. I am proud of you, Luke," he said with a paternal smile.

"May the Force be with you," said Yoda, looking up at them in approval. "Farewell."

As they slowly faded away, Luke looked back at his friends and family and smiled himself.

The future was open before them, and the possibilities were endless.

* * *

This is how it feels to be Darth Vader right now:

As your mighty flagship flies on into the unknown, you stand alone in your quarters, gazing into the infinite blackness of space, pondering the darkness within your own soul.

It seems your destiny to always end up alone, you think. The events of your life seem to conspire so that everyone you love goes away in the end.

First, you had to leave your mother behind on Tatooine when you left to join the Jedi. You did not see her again for years, and even then only to have her die in your arms after one final goodbye.

Then you received the incredible gift of Padmé, a woman who seemed to truly understand you for who you are. You were never in your life as happy as in the times you spent with her, but you threw it all away when you let your fear, anger, and hate drag you down into darkness.

You should have listened to her, you think. Before your fall, she had said to you that she was afraid the Republic was drifting away from what it was meant to be, that you might even be on the wrong side. But no, you refused to listen to her.

For more than twenty years, you have lied to yourself. You have tried to tell yourself that you had fallen to the Dark Side out of concern for Padmé, that you only listened to Palpatine so that you could find a way to save her, but you know deep inside that you really fell because of your own desire for more power.

You had been endlessly frustrated by the restrictions of the Jedi, and you became convinced that they were holding you back, limiting you from reaching your true potential. Thus, when Palpatine offered you another way out, a way to truly live up to your potential, you gave in to your secret desires, your dreams of greater power and prestige. You let yourself go hurtling into darkness and violence.

And what has it gotten you? An Empire that has rejected you. A wife that rejected you. Children that rejected you. You know you have no one else to blame but yourself.

Your loneliness and pain is no one's fault but your own.

For all your talk of balance within the Force, you have given your emotions entirely too much freedom in influencing your decisions. You are not fit to rule a galaxy, you think. All you are fit to do is destroy; it seems sometimes like destruction is all you are ever able to accomplish.

Well, you think bitterly, you will certainly have plenty of opportunity where you are going. Pain is all the Far Outsiders seem to understand, and you are certainly capable of doling out plenty of that.

You look down at the lightsaber in your hand, the gleaming chrome hilt that belonged to the man you once were. Is there anything left of him still?

Perhaps, you think. Perhaps the darkness has not taken you entirely. Perhaps there is hope for you yet.

As Darth Vader, you are not ready now, but perhaps, in time, Anakin Skywalker can someday return to the ones he loves.

* * *

-/\-

_**End Part III**_

__-\/-

* * *

Final Author's Notes and Acknowledgments: Well, that's it for this trilogy. It's been well more than a year since I first had the idea for this AU, and I've had my share of delays and frustrations with it, but on the whole, this series has given me some of the most fun I have ever had writing. Most importantly, I feel like I'm a better writer for having written it; I've definitely noted quite a bit of improvement in my style over the last year, and indeed since I joined the site.

The AU as a whole will definitely be longer, but more on that in a minute. Right now, it's time for the acknowledgments. First off, as usual and as always, major, major, major thanks to my beta readers, Silverwolf05 and Desteni. Their suggestions and insights definitely led to this becoming a better story, and I really appreciate all their help. Both of them have done quite a few pieces of art based on my stories, most of it for my 'Legend of Zelda' fics, which you can see in the 'Favorites' section of my profile on DeviantArt. There's a link towards the top of my profile page on this site that'll take you right to the 'Story-Related' folder.

Thanks also goes to the creator of the Star Wars universe, George Lucas. I was six years old when I saw 'A New Hope' for the first time, and I've been a fan ever since. Most of the fun I had as a kid was in some way related to Star Wars, and still is today. It's my personal favorite sci-fi universe, and I've had a great time writing my own stories set in such a fun and exciting world.

Of course, that world just wouldn't be the same without Timothy Zahn and his contributions to it, so thanks also goes to him for thinking up such great people like Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Winter, Garm Bel Iblis, Talon Karrde, and many others. As I've said in previous author's notes, they're some of my favorite characters in the Star Wars saga, and I hope I've done them justice here. As some of you may have noticed, I used a few lines from the very end of 'Vision of the Future' in this epilogue (specifically the part right before Luke proposes) as tribute to the man who got Luke and Mara together the first time around.

Thanks also go to Kevin J. Anderson and Michael A. Stackpole, whose novels are among my favorites in the EU, especially the 'Young Jedi Knights' series, by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, and 'I, Jedi' and the Rogue Squadron books by Michael A. Stackpole. Thanks for helping make the Star Wars galaxy such a fun place to escape to, guys.

Okay, now for news that should surprise none of you: This isn't the end of this AU.

I'm taking this opportunity to announce '_One Missed Strike: The New Jedi Order_', set twenty years after the end of this story, when (no spoilers at all) Darth Vader returns to known space to aid in the fight against the Yuuzhan Vong. '_The New Jedi Order_' will be a single story, but probably roughly the length of this trilogy as a whole. I just finished the (10-page, single spaced) outline for it a few days ago, and I estimate I came up with thirty to forty chapters' worth of material. I'm writing the first chapter right now, in between the multitude of other projects I'm working on, both fan-fic and original.

I will give you the following hints to salivate and guess over while I work on it: ;) 1) Grand Admiral Thrawn will be returning with Vader, and will be pitting his tactical genius against the invaders. 2) Elements of the 'Knights of the Old Republic' games will be involved. 3) Travel between alternate universes will be a plot element, and I'll be exploring a few other paths the galaxy could have taken. 3 1/2: Empress Leia. No more plot hints for you. ;)

While I'm not going to wait until I have the entire story done to start posting, because you'd have to wait a year for it in that case, I am going to give the estimate of late fall or winter of this year for the launch, so that I can get a good chunk of it done in advance so my beta readers and I have plenty of time for editing and polishing.

In the meantime, I'll be keeping another short story collection running, entitled '_Tales From the New Republic'_. The first story will be about Boba Fett and what he was up to during _'Part III_', and the rest will continue on through the period leading up to '_The New Jedi Order_'. I'm considering opening this one up to submissions, so if you would like to write a short story set in this AU, please send me a message.

Finally, a great big thank you to everyone who is reading this right now: I really appreciate all the support you've shown my work, and I'm always happy to hear when someone enjoys something I've written. So, once again, and never for the last time, thank you for reading.

May the Force be with you!

Davin Sunrider

(Revision Note: As with the other two parts of the trilogy, I've gone through this to polish things up a little, especially certain descriptions that I've been meaning to fix for a while now. All changes were minor; nobody shot anyone in a different order than originally posted. ;) )


End file.
